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Jlil  NORTH"  CAROLINA-  STATE  COLLEGE, 

D.ftHILL  LIBRARY 


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^PRESENTED  BY  MRS.  BESSIE  LOVE  BRIMLEYj 


NORTH  CAROLINA  STATE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARIES 


S00598815   - 


103553 


This  book  may  be  kept  out  TWO  WEEKS 
ONLY,  and  is  subject  to  a  fine  of  FIVE 
CENTS  a  day  thereafter.  It  is  due  on  the 
day  indicated  below: 


i.f  v 


50M— 048— Form  3 


New  York  now  offers  more  Free  Public  Education 
in  Natural  Science  than  any  other  city 


GUIDE  TO  THE 

NATURE  TREASURES  OF 

NEW  YORK  CITY 

AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 
NEW  YORK  AQUARIUM 

NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 
AND  BOTANICAL  GARDEN 

BROOKLYN  MUSEUM,  BOTANIC  GARDEN 
AND  CHILDREN'S  MUSEUM 


PREPARED   BY 

GEORGE  N.  PINDAR 

ASSISTED   BY 

MABEL  H.  PEARSON  AND  G.  CLYDE  FISHER 


PUBLISHED    FOR   THE 

American  Museum  of  Natural  History 

BY 

CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S   SONS 
1917 


Copyright,  1917,  by 
The  American  Museum  of  Natural  History 


PREFACE 

The  purpose  of  this  Guide,  which  owes  its  idea  and  incep- 
tion to  President  Henry  Fairfield  Osborn  of  the  American 
Museum  of  Natural  History,  is  to  render  accessible  under 
one  cover  an  account  of  the  public  scientific  institutions  of 
New  York  City  which  are  built  and  supported  by  public 
funds  in  cooperation  with  the  benefaction  and  direction  of 
individual  citizens.  This  union  of  municipal  and  private 
endeavor  in  the  cause  of  Public  Education  is  unique. 

The  Guide  is  designed  to  be  brief  enough  to  permit  of 
easy  reading  and  at  the  same  time  sufficiently  detailed  and 
descriptive  to  give  an  adequate  idea  of  the  collections  these 
institutions  contain  and  of  their  importance  as  educational 
factors.  The  visitor  is  thus  enabled  to  choose  from  the 
exhibits  of  any  or  all  of  the  Museums,  Parks  and  Gardens 
those  in  which  he  is  most  interested  and  to  proceed  directly 
to  them,  or  to  plan  a  survey  as  a  whole  with  a  minimum 
waste  of  time  and  effort.  Rearrangements  of  the  collec- 
tions which  are  liable  to  take  place  in  the  near  future  have 
been  anticipated  as  far  as  possible  at  the  time  of  writing. 

:„         103553 


PREFACE 

Acknowledgments  are  due  to  Mr.  Madison  Grant,  Dr.  W. 
T.  Hornaday  and  Dr.  Charles  H.  Townsend  of  the  New 
York  Zoological  Society;  to  Dr.  N.  L.  Britton  of  the  New 
York  Botanical  Garden;  to  Director  W.  H.  Fox  and  the 
Curators  of  the  Brooklyn  Museum ;  to  Dr.  C.  Stuart  Gager 
of  the  Brooklyn  Botanic  Garden;  to  Miss  Anna  B.  Gallup  of 
the  Children's  Museum  of  Brooklyn,  and  to  the  President, 
Director  and  Curators  of  the  American  Museum  of  Natural 
History  for  their  helpful  suggestions  and  cordial  coopera- 
tion in  the  work,  as  well  as  to  Miss  Clara  M.  Beale  of  the 
American  Museum  of  Natural  History,  who  has  been  good 
enough  to  read  all  the  proof. 

G.  N.  P. 
December,  1916. 


IV 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Manhattan 

American  Museum  of  Natural  History      ....  1 

New  York  Aquarium 133 

Bronx 

New  York  Zoological  Park 147 

New  York  Botanical  Garden 177 

Brooklyn 

Brooklyn  Museum 193 

Brooklyn  Botanic  Garden 257 

Children's  Museum 265 


MAPS  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

American  Museum  of  Natural  History    .      .       Frontispiece 

Lower  Manhattan  (Map) 3 

American  Museum  of  Natural  History 

"Willamette"  Meteorite 6 

First  Floor  Plan 7 

Flowering  Dogwood  and  Wild  Plum 10 

Specimens  and  Glass  Models  of  Invertebrates  .            .  13 

Eskimo  and  Northwest  Coast  Groups  and  Specimens    .  18 

Iroquois  Indian  Group 23 

Arapaho  Indian  Dancer  and  Dakota  Indian  Girl  32 

Pueblo  Pottery 41 

Wolverene,  Moose,  Polar  Bear,  Virginia  Deer  ...  44 

Second  Floor  Plan 45 

Extinct  Birds 51 

Sharks,  Paddlefish,  Deep-sea  Fish 56 

Mexican  and  Central  American  Sculptures  ....  60 

African  Village  Scene  and  Specimens 65 

vii 


MAPS  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Third  Floor  Plan 67 

Coati,  Aard-vark,  Skunk  and  Colobus  Monkey       .      .     72 

Duck  Hawk  and  California  Condor 75 

Brown  Pelican,  Egret  and  Whooping  Crane       .      .      .81 

Peruvian  Mummies  and  Pottery,  Stone  Seat  from 

Ecuador 88 

Chinese  Cloisonne 92 

Chinese  Bronzes,  God  of  Mercy 94 

Shells 96 

Tyrannosaurus  and  Asphalt  Group 98 

Fourth  Floor  Plan 99 

Uintatherium  and  Eohippus 101 

Brontosaurus,  Smilodon  and  Warren  Mastodon       .      .105 

Ground  Sloth 110 

Geological  Specimens 114 

Jade,  Cameo  and  Quartz  Specimens 118 

Mineral  Specimens 120 

Tahitian  Fire  Walker  and  Maori  Warrior     .      .      .      .123 

Igorot  and  Bagobo  Specimens,  and  Igorot  Weaver 

Group 125 

Moro  Weapons 128 

New  York  Aquarium 

Interior 134 

Mudfish,  Spadefish,  Spider  Crab  and  Fulgur     .      .      .137 

viii 


MAPS  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Crappie,  Starfish,  Gars  and  Sturgeon 140 

Porkfish,  Sea  Horses  and  Mud  Puppy 143 

New  York  Zoological  Park 

Upper  Manhattan  and  Bronx  (Map) 145 

Italian  Gardens  and  Seal  Pool,  Baird  Court      .      .      .146 

Ground  Plan 150 

Elk  Herd,  Elephant  House  and  Rocking  Stone  .      .      .155 
Monkeys,  Chimpanzees,  Orang-utan  and  Lion  Cubs     .    160 

Alligator  Pool,  Gavial  and  Elephants 169 

Flying  Cage,  Lake  Agassiz  and  Bear  Dens  .      .      .      .174 

New  York  Botanical  Garden 

Museum,  Conservatory  and  Pinetum 178 

Ground  Plan 181 

Rhododendron  Banks  and  Herbaceous  Gardens      .      .187 

Brooklyn  Museum 

Brooklyn  (Map) 192 

Museum  Building 194 

Japanese  Armor  and  Image  of  Buddha 204 

Image,  Helmet  and  Bronze  Head 210 

Chinese  Cloisonne 214 

Zurii,  Apache  and  Navajo  Indian  Specimens      .      .      .221 

ix 


MAPS  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Coral  Reef 230 

Bald  Eagle,  Cape  Birds  and  Deer 245 

Bird  Groups 250 

Botanic  Garden 

Administration  Building  and  Conservatories      .      .      .  256 

Japanese  Garden 261 

Children's  Museum 

Museum  and  Wireless  Room 264 

Geographical  Groups 267 


x 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF 
NATURAL  HISTORY 

THE  American  Museum  of  Natural  History  was 
founded  *  and  incorporated  in  1869  for  the  purpose 
of  establishing  a  Museum  and  Library  of  Natural 
History;  of  encouraging  and  developing  the  study  of  Natu- 
ral Science;  of  advancing  the  general  knowledge  of  kin- 
dred subjects,  and  to  that  end  of  furnishing  popular  in- 
struction. For  eight  years  its  home  was  in  the  Arsenal  in 
Central  Park.  The  corner-stone  of  the  present  building  in 
Manhattan  Square  was  laid  in  1874  by  President  U.  S. 
Grant. 

The  Museum  is  located  at  77th  Street  and  Central  Park 
West  and  can  be  reached  by  the  Eighth  or  Ninth  Avenue 
surface  cars,  the  Sixth  or  Ninth  Avenue  elevated  to  81st 
Street  station,  or  by  the  subway  to  72nd  or  79th  Street  sta- 

*  The  following  were  the  founders  of  the  Museum:  William 
T.  Blodgett,  Joseph  H.  Choate,  Robert  Colgate,  Charles  A.  Dana, 
A.  G.  Phelps  Dodge,  Benjamin  H.  Field,  William  A.  Haines, 
Adrian  Iselin,  Morris  K.  Jesup,  J.  Pierpont  Morgan,  Henry 
Parish,  Howard  Potter,  Theodore  Roosevelt,  Benjamin  B.  Sher- 
man, D.  Jackson  Steward,  Robert  L.  Stuart,  John  David  Wolfe. 

1 

D.    H.    HILL    LIBRARY 

North  Carolina  State  College 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

tion.    The  Museum  is  open  free  every  day  in  the  year:  on 
week  days  from  9  a.m.  to  5  p.m.,  on  Sundays  from   1  to 

5  P.M. 

The  Museum  is  under  the  control  of  a  self-perpetuating 
Board  of  Trustees,  which  includes  the  Mayor,  the  Comp- 
troller and  the  President  of  the  Department  of  Parks, 
ex  officio.  This  Board  has  the  entire  direction  of  all  the 
activities  of  the  Museum,  as  well  as  the  guardianship  of 
the  collections  and  exhibits. 

All  the  collections  in  the  exhibition  halls  and  in  the 
study  rooms  are  the  gifts  of  the  Trustees,  Members  and 
other  friends  and  supporters  of  the  institution.  The  funds 
which  enable  the  Trustees  to  purchase  specimens,  to  carry 
on  explorations  in  various  parts  of  the  world,  to  prepare 
and  publish  scientific  papers  and  to  enlarge  the  library  are 
raised  by  contributions  from  the  Trustees,  Members  and 
other  friends.  These  contributions  are  divided  into  three 
classes:  (1)  the  Endowment  Fund,  (2)  the  Membership 
Fund,  (3)  voluntary  subscriptions.  The  Membership  Fund, 
derived  from  the  subscriptions  of  Members,*   is  of  par- 

::  Associate  Members  (restricted  to  persons  living  more 

than  50  miles  from  New  York  City)       (annually)  $3 

Annual  Members (annually)  10 

Sustaining  Members (annually)  25 

Life  Members i00 

Fellows 500 

Patrons 1?000 

Associate  Benefactors 10,000 

Associate  Founders 25  000 

Benefactors 50^000 

2 


79  ST.] 


MUS 
INATUftALHl 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

ticular  importance  in  the  educational  work  of  the  Museum. 
Voluntary  contributions  may  be  used  for  general  purposes 
or  for  such  particular  object  as  the  donor  may  specify; 
some  of  the  most  important  and  valuable  collections  have 
been  obtained  through  such  gifts. 

The  Museum  building  is  erected  by  the  City  of  New 
York.  It  is  one  of  the  largest  municipal  structures  in  the 
city  and  has  cost  approximately  $5,318,820. 

The  building,  of  which  eight  sections  have  been  com- 
pleted, will  cover  the  entire  area  of  Manhattan  Square. 
The  first  section  was  erected  in  1874-1877.  The  present 
South  Facade  is  710  feet  in  length  from  tower  to  tower. 
Eastern,  western,  and  northern  facades,  comparable  with 
this  in  length,  are  planned  for  the  completed  structure, 
which  will  be  larger  than  any  building  in  the  world  to-day, 
even  the  Escorial  of  Spain  or  the  Capitol  at  Washington. 
The  total  area  of  the  floor  space  is  470,789  square  feet,  or 
about  eleven  acres,  of  which  271,886  square  feet  are  open 
to  the  public. 

The  City  makes  an  annual  appropriation,  known  as  the 
Maintenance  Fund,  which  is  devoted  to  the  heating,  light- 
ing, repairing  and  supervising  of  the  building,  the  care  of 
the  collections,  the  construction  of  cases  and  other  mainte- 
nance work.  This  fund  in  1915  amounted  to  $200,000. 
The  Trustees  also  contribute  to  the  Maintenance  Fund  an- 
nually in  amounts  varying  from  $50,000  to  $100,000,  in- 
asmuch as  the  municipal  appropriation  is  inadequate  thor- 
oughly to  maintain  the  building. 

4 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

Under  the  arched  entrance  way  to  the  Museum,  on  77th 
Street,  the  visitor  first  notices  a  bench-mark  established  by 
the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  in  1911,  indicating  the  latitude 
and  longitude  and  the  height  above  sea  level  (eighty-six 
feet).  On  the  right  is  a  pot-hole  from  St.  Lawrence 
County,  New  York,  two  feet  across  and  four  feet  deep. 
The  hole  was  formed  by  pebbles  whirled  in  an  eddy  of  a 
stream  beneath  the  melting  ice  of  the  glacier  that  once 
covered  New  York  State.  To  the  left  is  a  large  slab  of 
fossiliferous  limestone  from  Kelley's  Island,  in  Lake  Erie 
near  Sandusky,  Ohio,  whose  surface  has  been  smoothed, 
grooved  and  scratched  by  the  stones  and  sand  in  the  bot- 
tom of  the  immense  ice  sheet  that  covered  this  part  of  our 
country  during  the  glacial  period.  Geologists  tell  us  that 
30,000  to  50,000  years  ago  this  entire  section  was  covered 
by  ice  which  was  moving  in  a  southerly  direction. 

Entering  the  Museum  the  visitor  finds  at  the  left  and 
right  the  Information  Bureau  and  Visitors'  Room.  Wheel 
chairs  for  children  or  adults  may  be  obtained  here  without 
charge.  Postcards,  photographs,  guide  leaflets  and  the  pub- 
lications of  the  Museum  are  on  sale,  and  here  one  may 
also  arrange  to  meet  friends.  A  Restaurant  is  located  in 
the  basement. 


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1.  ELEVATORS 

2.  INFORMATION    BUREAU 

3.  VISITORS'    ROOM 

4.  ACADEMY    ROOM 

5.  WEST   ASSEMBLY    ROOM 

6.  COLLECTION    OF   CORALS 

7.  SEISMOGRAPH 


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FIRST  FLOOR 

SOUTH  PAVILION 


"men  o/  mould, 
Well  embodied,  well  ensouled." 

Emerson. 

From  the  lobby  the  visitor  enters  Memorial  Hall,  an  ob- 
long room  of  quiet  impressiveness,  with  wall  niches  con- 
taining the  marble  busts  *  of  noteworthy  pioneers  of  Amer- 
ican science,  the  gift  of  Morris  K.  Jesup,  a  founder,  trustee 
and  benefactor  of  the  Museum  and  for  twenty-seven  years 
its  President.     The  marble  statue  of  Mr.  Jesup  has  been 

*  These  include  Benjamin  Franklin,  statesman  and  natural 
philosopher;  Alexander  von  Humboldt,  geographer  and  geolo- 
gist; Louis  Agassiz,  zoologist;  Joseph  Henry,  physicist;  John 
James  Audubon,  ornithologist;  Spencer  Fullerton  Baird,  zoolo- 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

erected  by  the  Trustees  and  a  few  other  friends,  in  recog- 
nition of  his  munificent  benefactions  to  the  institution. 

Circling  this  same  hall  is  a  portion  of  the  Museum's  col- 
lection of  meteorites,1  popularly  known  as  shooting  stars, 
ranging  in  weight  from  a  few  pounds  to  thirty-six  tons. 
The  greater  number  of  meteorites  are  stony,  but  the  more 
interesting  are  composed  chiefly  of  iron,  while  certain  of 
them  contain  both  stone  and  iron.  The  toughness  of  iron 
meteorites  is  due  to  the  presence  of  nickel,  and  the  fact 
that  they  were  so  difficult  to  cut  led  to  the  adoption  of  an 
alloy  of  nickel  and  iron  in  making  the  armor  plate  for  bat- 
tleships. Meteorites  have  a  very  definite  structure  and 
when  polished(see  specimen  on  the  right  with  electric  lamp) 
show  characteristic  lines  which  together  with  their  compo- 
sition are,  to  the  expert,  absolute  proof  that  the  specimens 
are  meteorites. 

"Ahnighito,"  or  'The  Tent,"  at  the  left,  is  the  largest 
known  meteorite  and  was  brought  from  Cape  York,  Green- 
land, by  Rear  Admiral  Peary.  It  weighs  thirty-six  and  one 
half  tons,  and  its  transportation  to  New  York  was  an  engi- 
neering feat.  Opposite,  at  the  right,  is  the  curiously  pitted 
"Willamette"  meteorite  from  Oregon.  The  smaller  meteor- 
ites will  be  found  in  the  Hall  of  Geology,  fourth  floor. 

gist  and  founder  of  the  United  States  Fish  Commission;  James 
Dwight  Dana,  geologist;  John  Torrey,  botanist;  Edward  Drinker 
Cope,  palaeontologist;  Joseph  Leidy,  anatomist,  and  Robert  E. 
Peary,  explorer. 

1  The  Meteorites  in  the  Foyer  of  the  American  Museum  of 
Natural  History— .10. 

8 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

The  visitor's  tour  of  the  Museum  must  depend  entirely 
on  the  time  he  has  at  his  disposal.  If  it  is  his  intention 
to  visit  but  one  hall  devoted  to  a  particular  branch  of 
science,  it  would  be  well  to  consult  the  Directory  fac- 
ing the  elevators  on  the  first  floor  of  the  Museum. 
Otherwise  it  is  best  to  refer  to  the  floor  plans  in  this 
Guide. 

EAST  CORRIDOR 

Leaving  the  statue  on  the  left  and  the  "Willamette"  me- 
teorite on  the  right,  the  visitor  proceeds  east  and  enters 
the  East  Corridor,  where  the  elevators  and  a  Directory  of 
the  building  are  located.  Here  will  be  found  maps  of  the 
north  and  south  polar  regions  showing  the  routes  of  ex- 
plorers. On  the  wall  by  the  north  polar  map  is  the  sledge 
used  by  Admiral  Peary  in  his  last  expedition  in  search  of 
the  north  pole  and  also  one  of  the  sledges  used  by  Amund- 
sen in  his  journey  to  the  south  pole.  A  study  of  these 
sledges  readily  shows  the  differences  in  construction  fol- 
lowed by  these  successful  explorers.    Thence  we  enter  the 


SOUTHEAST  WING 

Hall  of  North  American  Forestry 

"The  groves  were  God's  first  temples,  ere  man  learned 

To  hew  the  shaft,  and  lay  the  architrave." 

Bryant. 

This  hall  contains  the   Morris   K.  Jesup   Collection   of 
North  American  Woods,  a  collection  designed  for  the  stu- 

9 


10 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

dent,  artisan  and  forester,  those  interested  commercially 
as  well  as  those  desiring  to  increase  their  knowledge  of  the 
woodland.  In  its  completeness  and  attractiveness,  its 
scientific  correctness  and  educational  value,  the  collection 
is  a  splendid  example  of  what  such  an  exhibition  should  be. 

The  collection  was  begun  by  Mr.  Jesup  in  1880,  and 
throughout  his  entire  presidency  it  received  his  constant 
attention.  In  its  perfected  condition  it  displays  in  related 
groups  or  families  more  than  five  hundred  species  of  North 
American  trees.  Each  tree  is  represented  by  a  section  of 
trunk,  five  feet  high,  cut  lengthwise  radially  two  and  one 
quarter  feet,  the  cut  surface  showing  the  color  and  graining 
of  the  quartered  lumber  in  its  natural  and  polished  state. 
Accompanying  many  of  the  specimens  are  wax  models  of 
leaves,2  flowers  and  fruit.  Attention  is  called  particularly 
to  the  flowers  of  the  decorative  magnolias,  of  the  basswood, 
interesting  to  bee  keepers,  to  the  curious  fruits  of  the  sas- 
safras, persimmon  and  Osage  orange  and  to  the  autumn 
foliage  of  oak,  sweet  gum  and  sumach. 

The  most  conspicuous  specimen  is  a  section  of  the  Big 
Tree,3  "Mark  Twain"  (Sequoia  washingtoniana) ,  cut  about 
twelve  feet  from  the  base.  The  section  is  sixteen  and  one 
half  feet  in  diameter,  and  according  to  the  annual  rings 
was  1341  years  old  when  cut  down  in  the  autumn  of  1891. 


-  Plant  Forms  in  Wax-.  10. 

3  The  Big  Tree  and  its  Story— .10 

11 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

SOUTHEAST  PAVILION 

Invertebrates 

"And    God   said,    Let   the   waters    bring   forth 
abundantly  the  moving  creature  that  hath  life." 

Genesis. 

The  specimens  in  this  room  are  chiefly  Invertebrates.  In 
the  foreground  is  the  bronze  bust  of  Darwin  presented  by 
the  New  York  Academy  of  Sciences  to  the  Museum  on  the 
occasion  of  the  Darwin  Centenary  in  1909,  at  which  time 
this  pavilion  was  designated  as  the  Darwin  Hall.  The  in- 
stallation in  the  Alcoves  is  designed  to  give  a  synopsis  of 
the  animal  kingdom  and  the  relationships  between  the 
various  groups,  while  the  special  exhibits,  in  other  portions 
of  the  hall,  are  intended  to  illustrate  certain  biological  prin- 
ciples. The  visitor,  passing  around  the  hall  from  left  to 
right,  finds  that  the  progression  is  from  the  lowest  forms  of 
animal  life  to  the  highest  and  most  complex,  i.e.,  from  the 
Protozoa  to  the  Primates,  including  Man.  Many  of  the  in- 
vertebrates, particularly  the  lowest  forms,  are  so  minute 
that  they  can  be  seen  only  by  the  aid  of  a  compound  micro- 
scope. In  these  instances  the  specimens  are  represented 
by  models  in  glass  and  wax,  many  times  enlarged. 

Alcove  1— Protozoa.  This  group  contains  the  lowest 
forms  of  animal  life.  They  are  all  single-celled  individuals, 
some  being  found  in  swamps  and  stagnant  water  and  others 
in  the  ocean. 

12 


PORTUGUESE    MAN-OF-WAR 
SEA   ANEMONE 


RADIOLARIAN 
PLUMED    WORM 


13 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

Alcove  2— Sponges.  Many  of  the  "glass"  sponges  are 
exceedingly  beautiful;  certain  other  specimens  are  coated 
with  wax,  tinted  to  show  the  natural  color  of  the  flesh  of  the 
animal. 

Alcove  3— Polyps.  Here  are  shown  the  coral  animals 
and  their  relatives;  plant-like  hydroids,  frequently  mistaken 
for  seaweeds ;  jelly-fishes,  brilliantly  colored  sea  anemones, 
sea  fans  and  sea  plumes,  reef  corals  and  the  precious  coral 
of  commerce.  In  front  of  the  window  is  a  life-size  model 
in  glass  of  the  beautiful  Portuguese  man-of-war. 

Alcove  4— Flatworms,  the  best  known  species  of  which 
include  the  tapeworms.  There  are  also  exhibited  parasitic 
and  free-living  flatworms,  the  latter,  which  inhabit  both  salt 
and  fresh  water,  being  shown  by  enlarged  models  in  the 
right-hand  alcove  case.  These  in  particular  well  illustrate 
the  great  diversity  of  color  and  detail  found  in  this  group. 

Alcove  5— Roundworms.  Here  may  be  found  an  en- 
larged model  of  the  common  roundworm,  or  stomach  worm 
of  the  horse  {A  scar  is) ,  showing  the  internal  structure. 

Alcove  6  — Rotifers.  These  are  minute  wheel  animal- 
cules, comprising  many  exquisite  and  grotesque  forms. 
They  are  aquatic  and  found  mainly  in  fresh  water. 

Alcove  7— Sea  mats,  minute  plant-like  or  encrusting 
animals  which  lead  the  colonial  form  of  life,  and  the  lamp 
shells,  which  superficially  resemble  clams  but  by  structure 
are  more  closely  related  to  the  worms  and  starfishes. 

Alcove  8— Sea  stars,  the  pest  of  the  oyster  beds;  brittle 

14 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

stars,  so  called  because  of  their  tendency  to  drop  one  or 
more  arms  when  handled;  sea  cucumbers  and  sea  lilies, 
also  sea  urchins,  which  form  an  important  article  of  food  in 
Europe  and  the  West  Indies. 

Alcove  9— Annulates,  worms  whose  bodies  are  made  up 
of  rings  or  segments.  They  inhabit  both  salt  and  fresh 
water.  A  number  of  them  are  illustrated  by  a  series  of  en- 
larged models.  The  houses  that  these  annulates  build  are 
frequently  beautiful  and  interesting. 

In  the  window  is  a  group  showing  a  section  of  a  mud-flat 
on  the  New  England  coast,  which  graphically  depicts  the 
variety,  habits  and  life  of  marine  worms. 

Alcove  10— Arthropods,  which  include  the  familiar 
crabs,  lobsters,  insects  and  their  relatives.  The  case  in  the 
center  of  the  alcove  contains  a  model  showing  the  anatomy 
of  the  common  lobster,  also  enlarged  models  showing  the 
heads  of  various  insects.  On  the  wall  are  the  two  largest 
specimens  of  lobster  (weighing  thirty-one  and  thirty-four 
pounds  respectively)  that  have  ever  been  taken.  The 
largest  of  the  arthropods  is  the  giant  spider-crab  of  Japan, 
which  has  a  spread  of  about  ten  feet. 

Alcove  11— Mollusks.  The  exhibit  includes  marine, 
fresh-water  and  land  animals.  Special  attention  should  be 
given  to  the  enlarged  models  of  the  common  clam  and 
oyster,  displayed  in  the  center  case.  Other  collections  of 
mollusks  will  be  found  on  the  third  floor. 

Alcove  12— Chordates,  including  vertebrates.    The  ver- 

15 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

tebrates  include  the  largest  and  most  intelligent  animals, 
culminating  in  Man,  who  still  bears  witness  to  his  chordate 
ancestry  in  the  reappearance  of  a  chorda  (cartilaginous 
spine)  and  gill  clefts  during  embryonic  life.  In  this  section 
are  specimens  of  the  lancelet  Amphioxus,  related  to  the 
primitive  group,  from  which  the  vertebrates  developed. 

The  visitor  should  now  go  to  the  Tower  Alcove  which  con- 
tains a  comprehensive  synoptic  series  of  stony  corals.  Re- 
turn to  the  center  of  the  hall  and  examine  the  four  large 
models  of  the  malaria  mosquito,  enlarged  seventy-five 
diameters  or  in  volume  400,000  times  the  natural  size. 

In  the  windows  around  the  hall  are  the  Sea  Worm,4 
Shore  Mollusk  and  Wharf  Pile  Groups,5  the  last-named 
being  a  reproduction  of  the  piles  of  an  old  wharf  at  Vine- 
yard Haven,  Massachusetts,  and  the  varied  and  countless 
marine  invertebrates  which  adhere  to  them  below  the  water 
line. 

In  other  portions  of  the  hall  will  be  found  exhibits  to 
illustrate  certain  facts  made  clear  by  Darwin  and  those  who 
follow  him:  on  the  left,  facing  the  entrance,  Variation  un- 
der Domestication,  and  on  the  right,  Variation  in  Nature. 
The  Struggle  for  Existence  is  portrayed  by  the  meadow 
mouse  surrounded  by  its  many  enemies,  while  the  simpler 
features  of  the  Mendelian  Laws  of  Heredity6  are  illus- 
trated by  the  exhibits  showing  the  inheritance  of  color  in 
the  common  and  sweet  pea,  and  in  a  series  of  panels  in  a 

4  The  Sea  Worm  Group— .10.      5  The  Wharf  Pile  Group— .10. 
6  Heredity  and  Sex— .10. 

16 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

neighboring  case  showing  the  inheritance  of  coat-color  in 
rats.  Now  return  to  the  East  Corridor,  turn  to  the  right, 
and  underneath  the  stairway  on  the  left  enter 

A  small  room  where  the  visitor  will  find  the  large  Mainka 
Seismograph  for  recording  earthquakes.  This  instrument 
was  the  gift  of  Emerson  McMillin  to  the  New  York  Acad- 
emy of  Sciences,  and  was  deposited  in  the  Museum  by  the 
Academy.    Just  beyond  and  north  of  Memorial  Hall  is  the 


SOUTH  CENTRAL  WING 

Indians  of  the  North  Pacific  Coast 

"Aurora  had  but  newly  chased  the  night 
And  purpled  o'er  the  sky  with   blushing  light  ' 

Dry  den. 

Here  are  displayed  specimens  illustrating  the  culture 
of  the  Indians  of  the  Northwest  Coast  of  America  and  also 
of  the  Eskimo. 

The  most  conspicuous  object  is  the  Haida  canoe  in  the 
center  of  the  hall.  In  it  are  figures  representing  a  party  of 
Chilkat  Indians  on  their  way  to  a  potlatch.  In  the  stern 
stands  the  chief,  or  medicine  man,  who  is  in  charge  of  the 
ceremony.  The  canoe  is  a  huge  dugout  made  from  a  single 
tree;  it  is  sixty-four  feet  long  and  eight  feet  wide.  Imme- 
diately north  of  it  will  be  found  groups  illustrating  the  home 
life  and  pursuits  of  the  Kwakiutl  Indians.  Placed  again-t 
the  pillars  and  walls  of  the  hall   are  many  grotesquely 

17 


INTERIOR    ESKIMO    IGLOO 
NORTHWEST   COAST    HOUSE 


18 


shaman's   rattle 

eskimo  woman  fishing 

shaman's   mask 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

carved  house  posts  and  totem  poles.  In  some  instances  the 
carvings  represent  the  coat  of  arms  or  the  family  tree,  or 
illustrate  a  story  or  legend  connected  with  the  family. 

The  collections  in  this  hall  run  from  south  to  north ;  those 
on  the  east,  or  right-hand  side,  are  from  the  Indians  of  the 
Interior;  those  on  the  west,  or  left-hand  side,  are  from  the 
Coast  and  Island  Indians.  The  visitor  is  advised  to  begin  at 
the  lower  right-hand  side.    Begin  then  with  the 

Thompson  River  Indians.  This  collection  includes  a 
valuable  series  of  baskets,  noteworthy  for  its  uniqueness  of 
design  and  complexity  of  weaving.  These  peoples  gener- 
ally wore  clothing  of  buckskin.  The  visitor  will  be  interested 
in  a  group  which  illustrates  members  of  the  tribe  engaged 
in  tanning  skins.  Hunting  and  ceremonial  objects  also  will 
prove  of  interest. 

At  the  end  of  the  next  alcove  will  be  found  a  collection 
from  the  Coast  Salish,  comprising  articles  of  dress,  bas- 
ketry and  ceremonial  objects.  The  most  conspicuous 
object,  however,  is  a  large  blanket  woven  of  goat's  wool 
together  with  a  primitive  loom  and  other  implements  used 
in  weaving.    Proceed  to  the 

Bella  Coola  group  and  examine  the  numerous  ceremonial 
masks  representing  the  deities  of  these  peoples  and  the 
articles  woven  of  spruce  bark,  used  in  their  ceremonials, 
hunting  and  fishing  implements  and  a  series  of  dried  fish 
used  for  food.    Entering  the  section  devoted  to  the 

Tsimshian,  there  is  displayed  a  series  of  masks  and  rat- 
tles used  in  various  ceremonials  by  the  medicine  men.  or 

19 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

shamans.  These  masks  differ  from  those  of  other  tribes  in 
being  decorated  with  weasel  skins  and  abalone  shell.  Note 
the  articles  of  dress  which  are  ornamented  with  the  teeth 
and  dewclaws  of  mammals.    Continue  to  the 

Haida  exhibit  and  view  the  specimens  used  in  the  house- 
hold, in  fishing  and  in  ceremonials.  In  the  central  case  will 
be  found  a  number  of  models  of  canoes  and  whalebone 
implements  used  in  the  preparation  of  cedar  bark,  which  is 
used  for  garments,  basketry  and  the  sails  of  boats.  In  an- 
other case  will  be  found  a  number  of  slate  dishes  carved 
with  designs  of  animals  and  sea  monsters,  and  in  other 
places  may  be  seen  a  number  of  masks  and  models  of  totem 
poles.  Entering  the  corridor  at  the  north  end  of  the  group, 
one  finds  the  collections  devoted  to  an  exposition  of 

Eskimo  life.  Finely  etched  and  carved  pieces  of  ivory 
and  crude  but  effective  implements  of  the  sea  and  chase 
predominate.  Well-executed  groups,  representing  the  every- 
day life  of  these  peoples,  are  installed  in  prominent  posi- 
tions. At  the  end  of  the  corridor  on  the  right  is  a  collection 
of  the  principal  building  stones  of  the  United  States.  Re- 
turn to  the  main  hall,  and  on  the  right  inspect  the  collec- 
tions devoted  to  the 

Tlingit,  Kwakiutl  and  Nootka  Indians  respectively.  The 
material  from  these  peoples,  it  will  be  noted,  is  much  finer 
in  its  technique  than  that  from  the  other  groups  represented 
in  this  hall.  Special  attention  is  directed  to  the  large  col- 
lection of  elaborately  woven  baskets  in  the  Tlingit  section, 
which  are  used  in  the  household  occupations  of  these  peo- 

20 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

pies,  to  the  wonderful  examples  of  Chilkat  blankets,  woven 
from  mountain  goat's  wool  and  cedar  bark,  and  to  the 
curiously  formed  and  carved  spoons  of  mountain  goat  horn 
in  the  same  section.  The  conventionalized  designs  en- 
graved on  wooden  boxes  are  worthy  of  inspection,  as  are 
also  the  pipes,  masks  and  carvers'  tools. 

Examine  the  cases  containing  the  raw  material,  imple- 
ments and  finished  product,  which  illustrate  the  weaving  art 
of  the  Kwakiutl,  and  also  the  models  of  the  primitive  but 
effective  traps  used  in  fishing  by  these  same  peoples.  In  a 
near-by  alcove  the  curiously  designed  whaling  implements, 
seal  clubs  and  fishing  tackle  of  the  Nootka  are  noteworthy. 
It  is  related  that  when  Europeans  first  visited  the  Pacific 
Coast  they  found  that  the  Nootka  were  the  only  people  who 
attempted  the  hunting  of  whales  and  that  it  was  the  privi- 
lege and  duty  of  the  chiefs  to  throw  the  harpoon.  The 
basketry  work  in  this  hall  is  frequently  used  by  artists  and 
designers  as  patterns  for  symmetry  and  decoration. 

The  industries  and  ceremonies  of  the  various  tribes  are 
faithfully  reproduced  in  the  mural  decorations.  The  visitor 
now  proceeds  to  the 

WEST  CORRIDOR 

where  are  exhibited  specimens  of  particular  interest  re- 
cently acquired.  A  large  relief  map  of  the  Panama  Canal 
Zone  and  the  series  of  paintings  of  Mont  Pele  are  of  in- 
terest. 

21 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

On  the  first  landing  of  the  stairway  is  the  William 
Demuth  Collection  of  Pipes  and  Fire-making  Appliances 
from  various  countries.    Beyond  is  the 


SOUTHWEST  WING 

Indians  of  the  Woodlands 

"To  western  woods,  and  lonely  plains, 


Where  Nature's  wildest  genius  reigns." 

Freneau. 


Most  of  the  specimens  shown  in  this  hall*  were  collected 
from  Indians  who  formerly  lived  or  who  now  reside  east  of 
the  Mississippi  River  and  south  of  the  Great  Lakes,  a  large 
section  being  devoted  to  the  Iroquois— those  Indians  who 
were  directly  connected  with  the  early  history  of  the 
colonies. 

The  confederation  of  Iroquoian  tribes,  comprising  the 
Mohawk,  Seneca,  Oneida,  Onondaga  and  Cayuga,  known  in 
history  among  other  names  by  that  of  the  Five  Nations, 
undoubtedly  constituted  the  largest  and  most  powerful  or- 
ganization ever  instituted  among  natives  of  this  land.  Later 

*  The  cases  on  the  north  side  of  this  hall  have  been  grouped 
to  show  the  life  of  the  Indians  of  the  Middle  Atlantic  States  and 
the  Southeastern  Area,  while  those  on  the  south  side  of  the  hall 
illustrate  the  culture  of  the  Indians  of  New  England  and  Eastern 
Canada. 

22 


- 

O 

o 
z 

_ 
: 


23 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

the  Tuscarora  joined  the  league  of  the  Iroquois,  or  the  Five 
Nations,  and  it  then  became  known  as  the  Six  Nations. 
This  league  was  formed  about  1534  for  the  primary  purpose 
of  securing  peace  and  welfare  by  the  enforcement  of  the 
forms  of  civil  government.  The  leaders  were  astute  dip- 
lomats, as  the  French  and  English  statesmen  of  those  days 
frequently  discovered.  The  Iroquoian  tribes  were  seden- 
tary and  agricultural  people,  depending  for  only  a  small 
part  of  their  subsistence  upon  trophies  of  the  chase. 

The  first  wall  case  on  the  right  contains  an  interesting 
group  depicting  the  home  life  of  an  Iroquois  family.  The 
chief,  in  the  center,  is  about  to  receive  a  wampum  message 
from  an  Indian  runner.  This  runner  carries  in  one  hand  a 
war  club,  such  as  was  used  by  these  peoples,  and  in  the 
other  a  string  of  wampum.  The  woman  is  engaged  in  a 
household  pursuit— grinding  maize  by  means  of  the  primi- 
tive mortar  and  pestle. 

Other  portions  of  the  Iroquois  section  contain  a  display 
of  articles  used  in  the  household,  consisting  of  dishes,  plat- 
ters, mortars,  pestles,  spoons  of  wood,  and  basketry,  to- 
gether with  implements  of  stone  and  bone.  Their  method 
of  carrying  children  when  traveling  is  shown  by  a  number 
of  baby  carriers;  their  fine  arts  are  illustrated  by  an  excel- 
lent collection  of  silver  ornaments  including  the  implements 
used  in  their  manufacture.  Ceremonials  are  portrayed  by 
a  collection  of  grotesque  masks  and  a  series  of  rattles  used 
by  the  members  of  the  False  Face  Societies.  Excellent 
specimens  of  buckskin  and  cloth  indicate  the  costumes  of 

24 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

these  Indians,  and  their  agricultural  pursuits  are  illustrated 
by  samples  of  corn  or  maize,  beans,  squash,  etc.,  remains 
of  which  have  been  found  in  rock  shelters  and  shell  heaps. 
In  hunting  and  warfare  the  bow  and  arrow  and  war  club 
were  the  weapons  universally  employed. 

The  earliest  Indians7  who  lived  in  the  vicinity  of  New 
York  are  represented  by  archaeological  collections  consist- 
ing of  crude  pottery,  cooking  utensils  and  other  implements 
made  of  stone  and  bone.  Some  of  their  pottery  is  orna- 
mented by  incised  designs.  The  stone  axe,  found  in  1850 
while  excavating  for  a  pond  at  Thorndale,  Dutchess  County. 
New  York,  is  a  rare  and  valuable  specimen,  while  the 
wooden  decoy  duck  is  unique.  Models  of  rock  shelters  have 
been  constructed  to  illustrate  how  the  early  Indians  utilized 
overhanging  ledges  as  dwelling  places.  Some  of  the  orig- 
inals of  these  rock  shelters  are  still  in  existence,  particu- 
larly at  Inwood,  Armonk  and  Cold  Spring. 

In  the  left-hand  wall  case  will  be  seen  both  birchbark  and 
dugout  canoes.  An  unusual  specimen  in  this  case  is  a  por- 
tion of  an  original  dugout  canoe  found  in  New  York  City  in 
1906  when  making  excavations  in  Oliver  Street  near 
Cherry. 

In  other  portions  of  the  hall  will  be  found  exhibits  from 
the  Penobscot,  Delaware,  Shawnee,  Potawatomi,  Ojibway, 
Menomini,  Saulteau,  Eastern  Cree,  Winnebago,  Sauk  and 
Fox,  Seminole,  Cherokee  and  Yuchi  Indians. 

The  Menomini  section  is  particularly  rich  in  silver  work. 

7  The  Indians  of  Manhattan  Island  and  Vicinity     .20. 

25 

O.    H.    HILL    LIBRARY 
North  Carolina  State  College 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

basketry,  medicine  bags  and  clothing.  The  art  of  these 
peoples  is  shown  in  their  porcupine  quill  and  beadwork, 
basketry  and  bags.  There  are  charms  of  various  kinds 
used  by  witches,  and  a  maple  sugar  outfit  with  interesting 
tradition.  It  is  related  by  the  Menomini  that  maple  syrup 
formerly  ran  pure  from  the  trees,  but  Manabus,  their  great 
mythical  hero,  fearing  that  mankind  would  become  lazy  and 
worthless  if  not  obliged  to  work,  diluted  the  syrup  with 
water  so  that  it  must  now  be  put  through  a  refining  process 
before  it  can  be  used.  Of  unusual  interest  are  the  antique 
bags  woven  of  basswood  string  and  yarn,  most  of  them 
bearing  designs  of  the  Thunder  Bird.  In  one  case  will  be 
found  a  painted  robe  from  a  war  bundle,  the  decorations 
representing  all  the  gods  of  war,  the  medicines  used  in 
battle,  the  war  leaders  and  the  progressive  sections  of  the 
war  party  from  the  war  dance  to  the  scalp  dance.  This  robe 
is  probably  the  only  specimen  of  its  kind  in  existence. 
Near-by  will  be  found  ordinary  smoking  and  peace  pipes 
of  catlinite,  and  the  regalia  of  the  tribal  officers  of  these 
Indians. 

Among  the  Sauk  and  Fox  specimens  are  a  woman's  cere- 
monial costume,  decorated  with  thirty-nine  large  discs  of 
German  silver,  bags  woven  from  material  which  had  been 
raveled  from  blankets  (some  of  these  are  more  than  one 
hundred  years  old  and  bear  designs  of  humanized  forms  of 
birds  and  other  conventionalized  bird  figures),  and  deco- 
rated rawhide  trunks. 

The  beaded  belts  and  bags  of  the  Winnebago  tribe  show 

26 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

a  variety  of  ornamental  designs.  Their  medicine  bau-. 
buckskin  clothing,  weapons,  household  utensils  and  imple- 
ments will  be  found  interesting. 

The  Eastern  Cree  are  represented  by  birchbark  canoes 
and  a  tule  raft,  clothing  and  charms.  In  this  section  will 
be  found  fancifully  decorated  garments  made  by  the  Nas- 
kapi,  an  Algonkin  tribe  related  to  the  Cree. 

One  of  the  most  important  groups  is  that  of  the  Ojibway. 
Upon  the  folk  lore  of  these  Indians  is  based  Longfellow's 
poem  "Hiawatha."  A  large  collection  of  birchbark  writings 
is  exhibited  in  this  group  as  well  as  examples  of  beadwork 
and  household  utensils. 

The  Seminole  exhibit  is  one  of  the  three  existing  collec- 
tions from  these  Indians.  This  tribe  formerly  occupied  the 
greater  part  of  Florida.  In  1832,  by  treaty  with  the  United 
States  Government,  they  agreed  to  remove  west  of  the 
Mississippi,  but  the  treaty  was  repudiated  by  a  considerable 
part  of  the  tribe  under  the  leadership  of  Osceola,  the  result 
being  the  most  costly  Indian  war  in  the  history  of  the  gov- 
ernment. In  the  end  the  Indians  were  conquered  and  re- 
moved to  Oklahoma,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  hundred 
who  remained  in  Florida.  These  took  refuge  in  the  Ever- 
glades; they  still  remain  hostile  to  the  white  man  and  will 
seldom  permit  him  to  enter  their  territory.  They  retain  most 
of  their  primitive  customs,  and  it  is  from  them  that  the 
collection  has  been  secured. 

In  the  south  wall  cases  are  collections  from  the  Mac- 
kenzie and  Plateau  culture  areas.    The  Mackenzie  Indians 

27 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

are  mostly  Christianized,  and  many  of  them  are  able  to 
read  and  write  their  own  language  by  means  of  syllabic 
characters.  Their  clothing  is  made  from  the  skin  of  the 
caribou  and  their  household  utensils  are  of  bark  and  wood. 
They  travel  by  birchbark  canoes  in  summer  and  snowshoes 
in  winter. 

In  the  center  of  the  hall  are  special  cases  containing 
wampum,  moccasin  and  food  plant  exhibits. 

The  wampum  material  illustrates  its  several  related  uses 
by  the  tribes  of  North  America.  In  its  technical  application 
wampum  consisted  of  cylindrical  beads  made  from  shell, 
some  of  them  white  and  others  dark  blue,  the  latter  being 
the  more  valuable.  Woven  in  belts  or  strings  it  was  used 
to  bind  a  treaty  or  a  contract,  and  agreements  between  the 
tribes  were  solemnized  by  the  exchange  of  belts  of  wam- 
pum. White  wampum  was  emblematic  of  faith  and  purity. 
When  a  nation  was  summoned  to  war  it  received  a  black 
wampum  belt  with  the  figure  of  a  hatchet  in  white.  In 
concluding  a  treaty  of  peace  between  the  warring  tribes, 
the  belts  were  exchanged  as  a  ratification  of  the  event.  In 
trading  between  the  Indians  and  the  whites,  the  fathom  was 
the  name  for  the  count,  and  the  number  of  beads  varied  at 
different  times  and  places.  Under  the  Massachusetts  stand- 
ard of  1640,  the  fathom  counted  240.  Connecticut  received 
wampum  for  taxes  in  1637  at  four  beads  to  the  penny,  and 
wampum  was  current  with  silver  in  the  colony  in  1704. 

The  moccasin  exhibit  has  been  selected  from  a  number 
of  type  specimens  to  give  an  adequate  exposition  of  the 

28 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

primitive  skin  shoe.    All  varieties  of  pattern  and  decoration 
are  represented. 

The  case  of  food  plants  contains  samples  and  lists  of  the 
chief  cultivated  plants  in  the  New  World  before  1492,  most 
of  which  have  since  become  world  staples.  This  is  the  one 
great  contribution  of  aboriginal  New  World  culture.  Ad- 
joining is  the 

SOUTHWEST  PAVILION 

Indians  of  the  Plains 

"to,  the  poor  Indian  !  whose  untutored  mind 
Sees  God  in  clouds,  or  hears  Him  in  the  wind." 

Pope. 

These  collections  have  been  secured  from  among  those 
tribes  of  Indians  living  on  the  Plains  and  Prairies  west  of 
the  Mississippi,8  where  formerly  ranged  the  vast  herds  of 
buffalo.  The  flesh  of  these  animals  formerly  comprised  the 
main  article  of  food  of  these  Indians;  the  tipi  was  their 
home,  and  the  horse  with  the  travois— an  A-shaped  drag 
frame  of  poles— their  means  of  transportation. 

The  cases  are  so  arranged  as  to  separate  those  tribes 
designated  as  Village  Indians  from  the  Nomadic  Indians, 
the  latter  constituting  the  majority  of  the  Plains  Indians. 

In  the  quadrangle  between  the  entrance  from  the  Wood- 
lands Hall  and  the  exit  leading  to  the  Southwest  Hall,  will 
be  found  the  specimens  obtained  from  the  Village  Indians. 

8  North  American  Indians  of  the  Plains  — .25  and  .50. 

29 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

while  the  southern  and  western  portions  of  the  hall  contain 
typical  material  secured  from  the  Nomadic  Indians. 

The  Village  tribes  include  the  Hidatsa,  Mandan,  Santee- 
Dakota,  Osage,  Iowa,  Pawnee  and  Wichita,  and  excellent 
examples  of  their  handicraft,  consisting  of  decorated  par- 
Heches,  used  for  packing  clothing,  interesting  types  of  bas- 
ketry, skin  vessels,  horn  spoons,  samples  of  pottery, 
clothing,  decorated  buffalo  robes  and  implements  used  in 
their  games  and  ceremonials,  are  displayed. 

Representative  of  the  symbolic  designs  used  in  their  va- 
rious decorated  articles,  is  a  miniature  baby  board  in  the 
Pawnee  series.  This  baby  board  is  symbolic  in  the  sense 
that  it  was  not  made  for  actual  use  but  was  given  to  a  little 
girl  at  a  ceremony  as  a  part  of  the  prayer  for  her  future 
well-being.  If  in  the  future  children  should  be  born  to 
her,  a  larger  board  would  be  made  after  this  pattern.  The 
designs  at  the  head  of  the  board  represent  the  morningstar 
surrounded  by  rainbows,  the  idea  being  that  a  child  placed 
on  such  a  board  would  be  under  the  direct  protection  of  the 
morningstar,  eveningstar  and  the  four  gods  in  the  west,— 
lightning,  thunder,  clouds  and  wind. 

On  the  top  of  the  right-hand  wall  case  may  be  seen  the 
primitive  round  "bull"  boats,  made  by  stretching  buffalo 
skins  over  wooden  frames,  used  by  the  Hidatsa  Indians, 
and  near  the  center  aisle  a  model  of  a  Hidatsa  earth-lodge 
from  the  original  formerly  standing  on  the  Fort  Berthold 
Reservation,  North  Dakota,  which  well  depicts  in  miniature 
the  home  life  of  this  tribe. 

30 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

On  the  south  side  of  the  hall  and  in  the  Tower  Room  ad- 
joining is  a  comprehensive  series  of  specimens  collected 
among  the  Plains  Cree,  Assiniboine,  Dakota,  Sioux,  Crow, 
Sarsi  and  Blackfoot  Indians. 

In  the  wall  case  on  the  left  is  a  valuable  lot  of  specimens 
collected  by  the  late  Colonel  Sword.  One  of  the  most  im- 
portant objects  in  this  collection  is  a  decorated  war  shirt 
of  mountain  sheep  skin.  According  to  tradition,  such  shirts 
were  formerly  worn  only  by  the  four  head  chiefs  of  the 
tribe.  The  fineness  of  the  porcupine  quillwork  on  the  cos- 
tumes and  medicine  bags  and  the  interesting  bead  decora- 
tions on  the  leggings  and  sandals  are  especially  noteworthy. 

Displayed  in  the  Assiniboine  case  are  fine  examples  of 
porcupine  quill  and  beadwork.  These  Indians  show  a  pref- 
erence in  their  decorative  art  for  dark  backgrounds;  some 
show  blue  or  purple,  and  they  have  made  frequent  use  of 
the  square  (box),  cross  and  feather  patterns.  In  moccasin 
decoration  this  tribe  used  practically  every  type  of  design 
found  in  the  northern  plains. 

From  the  Dakota  Indians  are  articles  of  dress  decorated 
with  porcupine  quillwork,  implements  used  in  their  daily 
life  and  excellent  examples  of  catlinite  pipes  of  the  best 
known  types  made  by  the  Dakota;  some  of  the  specimens 
were  collected  as  early  as  1840.  The  painted  robe  of  buf- 
falo hide,  bearing  a  design  known  as  the  Black  War  Bonnet 
pattern,  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the  finest  robes  in  existence. 

Conspicuous  in  this  collection  are  the  costumes  worn  by 
those  who   participated  in   the   Ghost   Dance,  a   religious 

31 


ARAPAHO    INDIAN    DANCER 


DAKOTA    INDIAN    GIRL 


32 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

ceremony  founded  upon  the  belief  in  the  coming  of  a  Mes- 
siah, which  resulted  in  the  tragic  death,  on  December  15, 
1890,  of  Sitting  Bull,  and  which  terminated  with  the  mas- 
sacre of  Wounded  Knee  on  December  29  of  the  same  year. 
These  garments,  bearing  decorative  symbolic  designs,  were 
worn  by  all  the  participants  in  the  Ghost  Dance  and  were 
believed  by  them  to  be  bullet  proof. 

From  the  Crow  Indians  are  the  regalia  worn  by  the  mem- 
bers of  secret  organizations  known  as  the  Big  Dog  Society, 
Military  Society  and  Tobacco  Society,  as  well  as  specimens 
of  their  clothing  and  personal  accessories  handsomely 
decorated  with  bead  and  quillwork. 

To  those  interested  in  studying  the  designs  employed  in 
decorating  material  of  various  kinds,  an  inspection  should 
be  made  of  the  specimens  from  the  Sarsi  Indians.  Their 
designs  usually  consist  of  a  simple  geometrical  element 
combined  in  different  colors  to  make  the  larger  geometri- 
cal design  which  is  repeated  several  times. 

The  Tower  Room  is  devoted  to  the  collections  from  the 
Blackfoot  Indians.  Models,  showing  the  method  of  pre- 
paring the  raw  skin  of  the  buffalo  and  deer,  in  all  its  vari- 
ous processes,  from  the  time  of  the  killing  of  the  animal 
to  the  finished  product,  are  exhibited,  together  with  speci- 
mens of  clothing,  utensils,  implements  and  weapons  used 
in  war  and  the  chase. 

The  western  portion  of  the  hall  is  given  over  to  the  col- 
lections secured  from  the  Gros  Ventre,  Arapaho,  Nez 
Perce,  Cheyenne,  Comanche,  Kiowa,  Ute  and  Shoshone. 

33 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

Here  one  may  see  figures  in  life  size  of  dancers  in  the 
various  Arapaho  Age  Societies,  gorgeous  war  bonnets, 
models  of  shelters  and  methods  of  cooking,  peculiar  types 
of  baby  boards,  women's  dresses  decorated  with  shells, 
weapons  and  many  kinds  of  decorated  articles  of  dress. 

The  center  of  the  hall  contains  an  unusually  interesting 
Blackfoot  Indian  tipi,  fitted  up  to  show  the  home  life  of 
these  Indians.  The  paintings  on  the  sides  of  the  tipi  are 
those  of  otters  and  are  supposed  to  represent  a  vision  of 
the  owner.  This  tipi  was  made  in  1874  and  was  used  for 
some  time  by  Heavy  Runner,  a  noted  Blackfoot  Indian. 

In  other  parts  of  the  hall  will  be  found  a  genuine  medi- 
cine pipe  from  the  Blackfoot  Indians,  and  a  model  of  the 
Sun  Dance  *  of  the  Arapaho  Indians. 

*  The  Sun  Dance  is  a  ceremonial  which  is  found  among  most 
of  the  Indian  tribes  of  the  Plains.  The  Arapaho  call  it  Worship 
Dance  or  Sacrifice  Lodge.  It  is  held  annually  in  early  summer, 
in  fulfilment  of  a  vow  made  during  the  preceding  winter  by  some 
member  of  the  tribe  who  wishes  a  sick  relative  to  recover.  This 
man,  who  is  accompanied  by  his  wife,  is  the  most  important  of 
the  dancers.  He  is  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  semicircle  of 
dancers  and  is  painted  white.  The  dance  lasts  three  days  and 
three  nights,  and  during  this  time  the  dancers  neither  eat  nor 
drink.  Singing  and  drumming  continue  most  of  the  time  even 
at  night.  The  dancers  are  expected  to  exert  themselves  to  the 
utmost  to  prove  their  devotion.  On  the  last  day  they  are  often 
overcome  by  heat  and  thirst,  but  they  are  not  allowed  to  drop  out 
of  the  dance.  The  dancing  consists  in  regularly  rising  on  the 
toes  and  looking  fixedly  at  the  fork  of  the  sacred  tree  in  the  cen- 
ter of  the  lodge.  All  the  dancers  are  in  charge  of  old  men,  who 
are  called  their  "grandfathers."  These  attend  them,  instruct 
them  how  to  act,  and  sit  by  them  almost  continuously.    The  en- 

34 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

WEST  WING 

Indians  of  the  Southwest 

"Once  more  within  the  Potter's  house  alone 
I  stood,  surrounded  by  the  Shapes  of  Clay." 

The  collections  from  this  hall  have  been  secured  chiefly 
from  the  States  of  Arizona  and  New  Mexico.'-'  While  this 
area  is  generally  thought  of  as  an  arid  region,  it  is  well 
adapted  to  certain  kinds  of  agriculture.  In  it  are  found 
many  prehistoric  remains,  some  of  which  are  undoubtedly 
the  work  of  tribes  still  living,  while  others  are  further  re- 
moved. For  purposes  of  study  the  collections  have  been 
divided  so  as  to  place  those  secured  from  the  Nomadic  In- 

tire  dance  is  under  the  direction  of  an  old  man,  who  is  the 
keeper  of  the  "flat  pipe,"  the  most  sacred  possession  of  the  tribe, 
which  is  believed  to  have  been  the  first  thing  that  existed  in  the 
world.  This  pipe  is  wrapped  in  a  large  bundle,  which  is  hung 
on  a  stand  of  four  sticks  set  up  at  the  foot  of  the  tree  in  the 
center  of  the  lodge.  The  hoop  carried  by  the  man  who  has 
pledged  the  dance  is  also  sacred.  Some  of  the  paintings  on  the 
bodies  of  the  dancers  represent  thunder  birds,  water  monsters, 
dragon  flies,  trees  and  lightning.  Every  dance  is  held  in  a  new 
lodge,  which  is  erected  very  carefully  with  new  ceremonies.  At 
the  conclusion  of  the  dance  the  lodge  is  abandoned  and  allowed 
to  fall  to  pieces.  In  former  times,  on  the  last  day  of  the  dance 
the  dancers  passed  ropes  of  rawhide  through  the  skin  of  their 
breast,  and  tied  them  to  the  sacred  tree.  They  then  threw  them- 
selves backward  until  the  ropes  were  torn  out  of  the  skin.  This 
self-torture  gave  the  dance  the  name  of  "Sacrifice  Lodge." 

9  Indians  of  the  Southwest— .25  and  .50. 

35 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

dians— Eastern  and  Western  Apache,  Navajo,  Pima,  Pa- 
pago  and  several  tribes  of  Californian  Indians— on  the 
right,  and  those  from  the  Sedentary  peoples— those  living 
or  who  lived  in  pueblos,  caves  and  cliff  dwellings— on  the 
left. 

The  Eastern  Apache,  having  no  fixed  habitations,  gen- 
erally lived  in  buffalo-skin  or  canvas-covered  tipis.  Trav- 
eling from  place  to  place  in  search  of  game,  they  trans- 
ported only  such  material  as  was  not  easily  broken;  thus, 
the  visitor  will  find  but  few  examples  of  pottery  from  these 
tribes.  Such  as  they  did  make  is  noted  for  its  durability, 
but  is  lacking  in  decoration.  Their  basketry,  on  the  con- 
trary, is  well  represented.  That  from  the  Jicarilla  has  a 
foundation  of  twigs  of  sumach  or  willow.  They  employed 
vegetable  dyes  made  from  the  root  bark  of  the  mountain 
mahogany,  which  gives  red,  and  the  root  of  the  barberry, 
which  gives  yellow.  At  the  present  time  they  generally 
use  aniline  dyes.  The  Mescalero  Apache,  on  the  contrary, 
choose  the  leaves  of  the  narrow-leaved  yucca  plant  in  dif- 
ferent stages  of  ripeness  and  dryness  and  compose  artistic 
schemes  without  the  use  of  dyes.  Both  tribes  weave  geo- 
metrical designs  in  triangles,  rectangles  and  bands,  repre- 
senting certain  objects  such  as  mountains,  houses,  trails, 
gates,  etc.  Their  basketry  water  bottles  are  coated  inside 
with  pinon  pitch,  which  renders  the  vessel  water-tight.  Be- 
sides basketry  there  are  exhibited  other  specimens  illus- 
trating their  daily  life. 

The  Western   Apache   lived   in   thatched   houses;   they 

36 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

planted  fields  of  corn  each  year,  making  use  of  irrigation 
when  feasible.  Their  basketry  is  similar  to  that  of  the 
Eastern  Apache,  but  it  is  ornamented  in  black  and  white. 
the  white  obtained  by  splitting  and  shaving  willow  twigs, 
the  black  from  the  long  curved  pods  of  the  devil's-claw  or 
unicorn-plant.  Samples  of  beadwork,  dress,  implement- 
of  warfare,  food  and  ceremonial  objects  are  shown. 

The  Navajo,  a  large  and  widely  scattered  tribe,  are  well 
known  as  the  present-day  blanket  makers  of  North  Amer- 
ica. In  early  times  they  probably  wore  garments  of  buck- 
skin, and  they  continue  to  use  buckskin  moccasins.  It  is 
believed  that  the  Navajo  did  not  weave  before  the  coming 
of  the  Spanish  in  1540.  Since  the  Spanish  occupation  they 
have  acquired  large  flocks  of  sheep,  learned  how  to  shear, 
wash  the  wool,  spin  it  into  yarn  and  dye  it.  For  a  loom  a 
simple  frame  in  which  the  web  is  placed  vertically  is  used. 
The  weaving  is  begun  at  the  bottom,  the  blanket  being  low- 
ered as  the  work  progresses.  The  woof  is  inserted  by  the 
fingers  without  the  aid  of  a  shuttle,  continuing  only  so  far 
across  the  web  as  that  particular  color  is  needed.  The  next 
color  is  then  taken  up.  Such  a  blanket  has  both  sides  alike 
in  pattern  and  color,  a  result  difficult  to  produce  by  machin- 
ery. The  woof  strands  are  pressed  down  with  a  fork  of 
wood  and  then  firmly  beaten  down  with  a  batten,  the  result 
being  a  blanket  in  one  piece  and  quite  thick.  The  collec- 
tions are  replete  with  wonderful  examples  of  the  weaver's 
art.  The  Navajo  are  also  adept  silversmiths.  Many  speci- 
mens of  bracelets,  belts,  rings  and  other  articles  of  per- 

37 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

sonal  adornment,  which  have  been  hammered  out  from 
Mexican  silver  currency,  together  with  the  implements  used 
in  manufacture,  are  installed. 

The  Pima  and  Papago  devote  considerable  attention  to 
agriculture.  They  raise  corn,  beans,  melons,  etc.,  utilizing 
irrigation  when  necessary.  Both  these  peoples  make  pot- 
tery vessels  by  applying  successive  rounds  of  clay  rolled 
into  a  long  cylinder.  After  drying  in  the  sun,  the  vessel  is 
polished  and  given  a  coat  of  red  shale  or  white  earth.  The 
firing  is  done  in  a  small  pit.  After  the  first  firing  the  de- 
signs are  painted  with  mesquite  gum,  which  becomes  black 
when  subjected  to  a  slight  refiring.  Their  basketry  is 
usually  of  the  coiled  type.  The  coiled  tray,  when  turned 
wrong  side  up,  also  serves  as  a  drum  on  ceremonial  occa- 
sions or  when  the  medicine  man  is  treating  his  patients  by 
magic. 

The  Yurok,  Hupa  and  Shasta  tribes  are  represented  by 
articles  of  every-day  use,  costumes  worn  in  their  ceremo- 
nials, dances,  games,  etc. 

The  currency  of  the  Indians  of  northern  California  and 
the  coast  north  to  Alaska  consisted  of  the  shells  of  a  small 
mollusk  (Dentalium).  Their  value  was  estimated  accord- 
ing to  their  length.  The  individual  pieces  were  measured 
by  the  creases  on  the  fingers,  each  man  having  his  own 
determined  measure,  and  entire  strings  were  measured  on 
the  arm  from  the  thumbnail  to  a  series  of  tattooed  marks 
on  the  forearm.  The  California  Indians  were  ignorant  of 
the  true  origin  of  dentalium,  and  they  have  many  stories 

38 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

of  its  being  obtained  from  various  animals.  Comparison 
of  this  primitive  currency  of  the  far  West,  found  in  this 
series,  with  the  wampum  currency  of  the  extreme  East  is 
interesting. 

The  Maidu  of  the  Sacramento  Valley  are  represented  by 
models  of  their  houses,  foods,  medicines,  clothing  and  utili- 
tarian objects.  Like  many  of  the  tribes  of  California,  they 
make  use  of  acorns  for  food,  and  a  model  illustrating  its 
preparation  may  be  seen. 

The  Porno  excel  in  basketry.  Soft  brown  geometrical 
designs  on  a  background  of  tan  predominate.  Certain 
specimens  have  small  red  and  black  feathers  interwoven, 
while  others  are  entirely  covered  with  yellow  and  green 
feathers,  with  ornamentations  of  shell.  These  latter  types 
are  rare  and  very  valuable. 

The  pueblo  of  Acoma  is  the  oldest  continuously  inhabited 
town  in  the  United  States.  It  stands  on  a  mesa  357  feet 
higher  than  the  surrounding  plain,  in  the  western  part  of 
New  Mexico,  and  was  visited  and  described  by  members  of 
Coronado's  party  in  1540.  Acoma  pottery  is  among  the 
best  known  of  any  made  by  primitive  peoples  and  is  fre- 
quently purchased  by  tourists.  It  is  highly  decorated  with 
conventionalized  designs  of  flowers,  clouds  and  butterflies. 
A  comprehensive  series  of  selected  specimens  is  exhibited, 
together  with  the  material  used  in  its  manufacture. 

From  the  Zuni  have  been  secured  exceedingly  interest- 
ing articles  used  in  their  ceremonials. 

The  prehistoric  peoples  of  Utah  are  represented  by  ex- 

39 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

amples  of  rare  and  interesting  specimens  of  basketry  and 
pottery. 

In  the  section  devoted  to  the  Hopi  exhibit  is  an  exhaus- 
tive series  of  images  *  known  as  Bahos  in  the  Marau  cere- 
mony and  Tihus  in  the  Kachina  ceremonies. 

The  Hopi,  in  the  month  of  August  of  alternate  years, 
hold  a  Snake  Dance,  which  is  the  most  widely  known  of  all 
native  Indian  dances  and  is  largely  attended  by  visitors 
from  all  parts  of  the  world.  In  this  dance  live  rattlesnakes 
are  used,  the  priests  generally  holding  them  in  their 
mouths.  Strange  to  say,  snake  bites  occurring  during 
these  ceremonies  have  seldom  proved  fatal. 

Another  case  in  this  section  contains  a  series  of  basketry 
trays  used  in  the  women's  ceremonies.  The  dancers  ap- 
pear in  the  plaza,  holding  the  baskets  in  their  hands  and 
waving  them.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  ceremony  they  are 
thrown  to  the  spectators,  who  catch  them  and  preserve 
them  as  mementoes.  The  trays  are  generally  made  a  short 
time  prior  to  the  dance,  and  bear  designs  partly  geometri- 
cal and  partly  symbolical,  representing  beans  and  other 
products  and  various  divine  persons  known  as  Kachinas. 

*  These  images  are  not  to  be  considered  idols  as  that  word  is 
generally  applied,  but  they  do  represent  supernatural  beings,  and 
they  are  used  in  ceremonies.  After  they  have  been  so  used, 
however,  they  are  given  to  the  children  to  play  with  as  dolls. 
The  more  sacred  representations  of  the  gods  are  guarded  with 
jealous  care,  and  are  seldom  seen  except  by  the  initiated  mem- 
bers of  the  priesthood  to  whom  they  belong.  In  this  series  is  a 
stone  image  of  a  mountain  lion,  an  example  of  such  a  sacred 
object. 

40 


PUEBLO    POTTERY 


41 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

The  last  section  of  this  hall  contains  specimens  from  the 
prehistoric  pueblos  of  Bonito  and  Rio  Tulerosa,  and  the 
present-day  pueblos  of  Kerensan,  San  Ildefonso,  San  Juan 
and  Santa  Clara.  Of  these,  Bonito  is  the  largest.  It  stands 
close  to  the  wall  in  Chaco  Canon  in  western  New  Mexico; 
it  is  544  feet  long  and  314  feet  wide  and  consists  of  about 
500  rooms.  Numerous  examples  of  the  pottery  found  in 
this  pueblo  are  exhibited. 

In  the  Tulerosa  section  is  a  number  of  light  gray  ves- 
sels with  sharply  drawn  designs  in  black.  These  are  prob- 
ably the  finest  examples  of  this  type  of  pottery  known. 
While  geometrical  designs  are  the  rule,  attention  is  called 
to  a  small  bowl  having  a  pair  of  feet  drawn  on  the  bottom. 
The  skill  in  molding  is  evident  from  the  animal  shapes 
of  several  of  the  vessels  and  the  encrusted  snake  about  the 
border  of  the  bowl.  From  other  sections  there  are  numer- 
ous war,  hunting  and  household  implements. 

From  the  Taos  are  specimens  of  buckskin  clothing  and 
other  articles  of  dress,  including  necklaces  of  shell,  beads 
and  turquoise.  One  interesting  necklace  is  made  of  brass 
beads  with  eagle  claws  regularly  interspersed.  Pipes,  both 
square  and  tubular,  with  designs  representing  lightning 
and  ceremonial  objects,  are  shown. 

The  south  wall  case  contains  a  large  number  of  pottery 
vessels,  in  many  sizes,  shapes,  colors  and  designs.  The 
larger  vessels  are  used  as  storage  jars  for  flour,  beans  and 
other  supplies,  as  mixing  bowls  in  the  preparation  of  bread 
and  other  foods  and  as  water  jars.    Many  of  the  pots  have 

42 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

round  bottoms  and  so  need  some  kind  of  support  to  make 
them  stand,  while  those  used  as  water  jars  have  a  depres- 
sion at  the  bottom  so  that  they  can  be  easily  carried  on  the 
head.  Carefully  composed  labels  inform  the  reader  how 
this  pottery  is  manufactured. 

In  the  center  of  the  hall  are  models  of  different  pueblos, 
an  ancient  shrine,  a  group  depicting  the  daily  life  of  the 
Navajo  and  a  large  case  containing  ornaments  made  of 
turquoise. 

In  the  annex  are  exceptionally  well  executed  groups  il- 
lustrating Hopi  and  Apache  home  life  and  a  full-sized  Na- 
vajo hogan. 


43 


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44 


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SOUTHEAST  WING 

Mammals  of  North  America 


As  the  visitor  leaves  the  elevator  on  the  second  floor  he 
faces  an  admirable  painting,  "Polaris  in  Thank  God  Har- 
bor," by  William  Bradford.  At  the  immediate  left  is  a 
portrait  of  von  Humboldt  by  Julius  Schrader.  Turning  to 
the  right  of  the  elevators,  the  giant  moose  of  Alaska  is  the 
first  object  to  catch  the  eye.  On  each  side  in  the  west  wall 
cases  are  groups  of  small  mammals  found  within  fifty 
miles  of  New  York:  opossum,  the  only  common  North 
American   representative   of  the  order  of  marsupials,   or 

45 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OE  NATURAL  HISTORY 

pouched  mammals,  raccoon,  red  fox,  muskrat,  mink,  skunk, 
woodchuck,  porcupine  and  gray  squirrel.  The  furs  of 
nearly  all  these  animals  are  used  commercially. 

The  first  large  group  in  the  center  of  the  hall  is  that  of 
the  moose,  in  a  setting  representing  an  early  autumn  scene 
in  a  second-growth  forest.10  This  is  followed  by  a  group 
illustrating  the  color  phases  of  the  black  bear  and  by  the 
Lynx  and  Otter  Groups.  Adjoining  these  is  a  large  group 
of  American  bison,  on  a  mounting  of  a  typical  bit  of  prairie 
traversed  by  buffalo  trails,  and  near-by  a  group  of  the 
Atlantic  walrus. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  hall  are  excellent  groups  of  the 
collared  peccary  from  Mexico,  also  groups  of  caribou  and 
musk-ox,  which  furnish  food  and  clothing  to  the  natives 
and  explorers  of  the  far  North,  antelope  and  deer,  wild 
boar  from  the  Black  Forest  of  Germany,  polar  bear,  Stone's 
mountain  sheep  from  Alaska  and  bighorn  sheep  from  Mon- 
tana. 

On  the  north  side,  the  Roosevelt  elk  or  wapiti  may  be 
found,  followed  by  groups  of  Rocky  Mountain  goat;  beaver, 
showing  these  industrious  little  animals  busy  cutting  trees 
for  building  dams  and  houses  and  the  interior  of  one  of 
their  homes;  many  species  of  rats,  mice,  ground  squirrels, 
foxes,  bats,  coyotes,  panthers;  an  excellent  reproduction 
of  a  fur  seal  rookery  in  the  Pribilof  Islands,  where  our 
government  seal  fisheries  are  located;  weasels  in  their  sum- 
mer and  winter  coats;  the  ferocious  grizzly  bear  of  the 

10  North  American  Ruminants— .10. 

46 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

western  United  States,  and  the  huge  Kadiak  bear  of  the 
Alaskan  Peninsula. 

Suspended  from  the  ceiling  is  a  model  of  a  seventy-six 
foot  sulphurbottom  whale. 

Southeast  Pavilion,  used  as  a  workroom  for  the  prepa- 
ration of  African  elephants  and  other  mammals.  Proceed 
to  the 


SOUTH  PAVILION 

'Nature  is  a  revelation  of  God; 
Art,  a  revelation  of  man." 

Longfellow. 


At  the  present  time  this  hall  contains  a  varied  assem- 
blage of  animals,  but  in  the  main  is  devoted  to  a  series  of 
groups  of  reptiles  and  amphibians  which  for  composition, 
detail  and  exactness  are  not  excelled  in  any  museum. 

In  the  immediate  foreground,  dominating  all  others,  is 
a  mounted  specimen  of  "Tip,"  an  Asiatic  elephant  who 
was  the  main  attraction  in  Central  Park  Menagerie  for 
many  years.  In  1894  it  became  necessary  to  kill  him  be- 
cause of  his  treacherous  disposition.  In  the  east  wall  case- 
are  many  species  of  seals.  Other  conspicuous  mammal 
specimens  or  groups  are  those  of  the  sea  elephant,  the 
largest  of  the  earless  seals  and  now  nearly  extinct;  an  ex- 
ceptionally well  mounted  white  rhinoceros;  Bactrian  camel ; 
tigers;  Chinese  takin,  a  clumsily  built  animal  with  yellow- 
ish-brown hair  and  curiously  curved  horns,  and  black  rhi- 

47 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

noceros.    For  want  of  space  many  of  these  specimens  are 
only  temporarily  arranged. 

Quite  naturally  the  visitor's  attention  will  be  drawn  to 
the  group  of  king  penguins  on  the  north  side  of  the  hall. 
In  this  case  is  an  actual  reproduction  of  a  penguin  breed- 
ing ground  or  rookery  on  South  Georgia  Island,  Antarc- 
tica. These  grotesque  but  gorgeously  colored  birds  are 
shown  in  various  stages  of  growth.  The  two  central  birds, 
solemnly  examining  one  of  their  eggs,  and  one  on  the  right 
hand,  illustrating  the  method  of  feeding  by  regurgitation, 
are  especially  attractive. 

Arranged  in  rectangular  form  in  the  center  of  the  hall  is 
a  series  of  groups  which  include  the  Texas,  timber  and  dia- 
mond-backed rattlesnakes,  a  copperhead  den,  the  Gila 
monster,  iguana,  pine  snake,  deadly  moccasin  and  harmless 
water  snakes.  All  are  mounted  in  careful  detail,  each 
group  in  surroundings  like  those  in  which  they  are  found  in 
life.11 

Interest  centers,  however,  in  the  groups  on  the  south- 
westerly side  of  the  hall  illustrating  the  life  habits  of  cer- 
tain North  American  reptiles.12  The  Museum's  artists  have 
here  emphasized  the  character  of  the  work  required  in  the 
reproduction  of  groups,  intended  to  represent  the  natural 
haunts  of  the  reptiles,  by  a  technique  so  fine  as  frequently 
to  cause  the  observer  to  wonder  which  portion  is  real  and 
which  artificial.    For  the  best  effect  the  visitor  should  stand 

11  The  Batrachians  of  the  Vicinity  of  New  York  City— .15. 

12  Methods  and  Results  in  Herpetology— .05. 

48 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

well  back  from  the  groups,  when  the  foreground  and  hack- 
ground  will  blend  as  in  a  vista  in  nature. 

The  giant  salamander  is  most  frequently  encountered  in 
the  streams  of  western  Pennsylvania.  In  this  group  the 
river  is  represented  as  flowing  toward  the  observer,  in  or- 
der to  show  the  nests  and  eggs  under  the  rocks.  Salaman- 
ders are  seen  molting,  eating  crayfish  and  watching  their 
eggs;  there  are  also  young  salamanders. 

Bullfrogs  in  the  next  group  are  seen  in  a  typical  lily 
pond  and  in  the  various  stages  of  life  from  egg  to  adult. 
Certain  individuals  are  casting  their  skins,  swimming, 
breathing  under  water  and  in  air,  croaking  and  catching 
insects,  birds  and  snakes. 

Adjoining  is  a  group  of  lizards  as  they  might  be  found 
on  a  Lower  California  island.  Desert  life  is  pictured  in 
striking  contrast  to  the  other  groups  in  this  series. 

The  last  group,  that  of  the  toad,  represents  a  typical 
scene  in  New  England  in  May.  Here  have  been  incor- 
porated oak,  maple,  hornbeam,  shadbush  and  tall  blueberry 
trees  and  shrubs,  and  pendent  from  the  new  leaves  are  the 
glistening  water  drops  from  a  recent  rain.  The  combina- 
tion of  natural  specimens  with  the  work  of  the  taxidermist 
is  so  perfect  that  the  question  arises  in  the  visitor's  mind 
which  is  the  work  of  nature  and  which  that  of  the  artisan. 

In  another  part  of  the  hall  are  specimens  illustrating  the 
distinctive  habits  of  some  of  the  animals,  for  instance,  an 
enlarged  model  of  the  bullfrog,  showing  the  peculiar  con- 
struction of  its  tongue  which  enables  it  to  catch  insects,  the 

49 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

various  processes  of  shedding  skin,  the  "spring  peeper" 
with  its  vocal  sacs  inflated,  the  poisonous  bushmaster  with 
its  eggs,  and  the  Surinam  toad  which  carries  its  eggs  in  the 
soft  tissues  of  its  back  where  the  young  are  hatched.  The 
perishable  parts  of  many  of  these  animals  have  been  cast 
in  wax  from  life,  thus  utilizing  in  the  model  only  the  hard 
or  indestructible  parts.  This  method  brings  out  in  detail 
the  principal  features,  thus  doing  away  with  the  objection- 
able and  unsatisfactory  exhibition  of  specimens  in  jars  of 
alcohol. 

Suspended  from  the  ceiling  is  a  skeleton  of  a  North 
Atlantic  right  whale. 

Lack  of  room  has  again  made  necessary  the  installation, 
in  the  lobby  adjoining  on  the  south,  of  casts  of  certain  pre- 
historic sculptures  from  Mexico  and  Central  America  which 
ordinarily  would  be  found  in  the  Mexican  Hall  in  the  sec- 
tion devoted  to  the  Maya  and  Nahua  cultures.    Enter  the 


SOUTH  CENTRAL  WING 

Birds  of  the  World 

"I  hear  from  many  a  little  throat, 
A  warble  interrupted  long." 

Bryant. 

Beginning  on  the  right,  the  first  four  cases  contain  repre- 
sentatives of  the  13,000  known  species  of  birds  in  the  prin- 
cipal  groups,  arranged  according  to  their  natural  relation- 

50 


GREAT    AUK 


LABRADOR    DUCK 


51 


rxmo 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OE  NATURAL  HISTORY 

ships.  The  series  begins  with  the  ostriches,  those  birds 
which  have  changed  least  from  their  reptilian  ancestors, 
and  terminates  with  the  singing  perching  birds,  such  as  the 
thrush  and  finch,  of  the  highest  type  of  development.  The 
remaining  specimens  in  the  cases  around  the  hall  are 
grouped  according  to  their  faunal  regions,  i.e.,  South  Amer- 
ican Temperate,  American  Tropical,  North  American  Tem- 
perate, Arctic,  Eurasian,  Indo-Malay,  African  and  Aus- 
tralian. 

Visitors  who  do  not  care  to  inspect  every  case  will  be 
interested  in  an  examination  of  the  hornbill,  which  has  the 
peculiar  habit  of  sealing  the  female  in  her  nest  when  she 
is  "setting";  the  varicolored  toucans,  whose  bills  are  fash- 
ioned into  spoons  by  the  natives  of  the  different  countries 
these  birds  inhabit;  the  Argus  pheasant,  with  its  great 
spreading  tail;  the  gyrfalcon,  equipped  with  its  hood  and 
shown  as  being  "pegged  out"  in  the  open  air;  the  jungle 
fowls  from  Africa,  the  progenitors  of  our  domesticated 
chickens;  the  brilliant  colored  quetzal  with  its  long  plumes, 
the  national  bird  of  Guatemala,  and  the  long-tailed  fowls  of 
Japan  with  tail  feathers  frequently  reaching  a  length  of 
from  twelve  to  fourteen  feet. 

In  the  center  of  the  hall  are  cases  containing  groups  of 
extinct  or  nearly  extinct  birds: 

The  Heath  Hen,  common  in  the  early  part  of  the  last 
century  in  portions  of  Massachusetts,  Long  Island  and  New 
Jersey.  The  near  extinction  of  these  birds  is  due  to  exces- 
sive shooting  at  all  seasons;  when  the  present  specimens 

52 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

were  secured  in  1907  from  Martha's  Vineyard,  not  more 
than  one  hundred  individuals  were  known  to  exist.  This 
bird  has  the  general  habits  of  the  prairie  hen,  but  frequent^ 
a  bushy  rather  than  an  open  prairie  country. 

The  Dodo,  of  which  a  restoration  and  skeleton  may  be 
seen.  The  Dodo  was  a  strange  kind  of  pigeon  about  twice 
the  size  of  a  turkey  and  was  found  on  the  Island  of  Mauri- 
tius by  the  Portuguese  about  1507.  The  last  authentic 
record  shows  that  there  were  individuals  alive  in  1681. 

The  Great  Auk,  of  which  no  living  specimen  has  been 
recorded  since  1844.  This  bird  formerly  bred  on  a  few 
small  islands  off  the  coast  of  Newfoundland  and  during  its 
migration  was  known  along  our  coast  as  far  south  as  Vir- 
ginia. Being  flightless  and  helpless  on  land,  it  proved  an 
easy  victim  for  the  early  voyagers  and  fishermen,  who 
killed  the  birds  in  vast  numbers  for  their  flesh  and  feathers. 

The  Labrador  Duck,  which  formerly  was  somewhat  com- 
mon on  the  Atlantic  coast  from  Labrador  to  Chesapeake 
Bay.  No  living  specimen  of  this  bird  has  been  recorded 
since  1871,  although  as  late  as  1850  it  was  met  with  occa- 
sionally in  New  York  markets.  Only  forty-odd  specimen^ 
are  known  to  be  preserved  in  museums.  Of  these,  thirtv- 
one  are  in  America,  seven  of  which  are  in  this  institution. 
A  perfect  skin  of  this  bird  now  has  a  value  of  more  than 
$3,000. 

The  Wild  Pigeon,  which  in  1805  was  so  numerous  that 
Audubon  wrote  that  he  saw  schooners  at  the  wharves  in 
New  York  City  loaded  in  bulk  with  wild  pigeons  caught  up 

53 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

the  Hudson  River,  which  were  sold  at  the  rate  of  one  cent 
each.  The  last  individual  died  in  the  Cincinnati  Zoological 
Gardens  in  1914. 

Near-by  is  a  group  indicating  the  relation  between  struc- 
ture and  habit  in  birds  as  illustrated  by  woodpeckers,  fol- 
lowed by  a  case  containing  specimens  of  nearly  all  the 
known  varieties  of  the  birds  of  paradise. 

In  alcoves  will  be  found  small  groups  of  various  birds 
and  series  of  birds'  nests  and  eggs,  showing  the  size  of  the 
egg  and  the  number  in  the  clutch.  Of  special  interest  in 
the  case  containing  the  ostriches,  is  an  egg  of  the  ^Epyor- 
nis,  one  of  the  several  species  of  gigantic  extinct  birds  dis- 
tantly related  to  the  ostrich  and  known  only  from  bones  and 
eggs  found  in  the  forests  of  southern  Madagascar.  This 
egg  has  a  capacity  of  six  times  that  of  the  ostrich  egg,  140 
fair-sized  eggs  of  the  common  hen  or  18,000  eggs  of  hum- 
mingbirds. They  were  frequently  used  for  bowls  and 
water  jars.  Stories  of  their  size,  told  by  Arabian  traders, 
gave  rise  to  the  fable  of  the  roc,  a  giant  bird  which  could 
carry  off  an  elephant.  It  is  said  that  when  the  present 
natives  of  the  island  find  one  of  these  eggs,  they  hold  a 
feast  in  honor  of  the  event,  at  which  time  they  sacrifice 
several  oxen. 

From  the  ceiling  hangs  a  skeleton  of  a  finback  whale 
sixty-two  feet  in  length. 

At  the  rear  of  the  group  of  birds  of  paradise  has  been 
temporarily  installed  a  portion  of  the  collection  of  recent 
fishes. 

54 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

CENTRAL  PAVILION 

Recent  Fishes 

This  exhibit  is  composed  of  typical  examples  of  the 
various  groups  of  vertebrates  popularly  comprised  in  the 
term  "fishes."  The  collection  is  arranged  by  groups  in  the 
following  order: 

1.  Lampreys  and  Hagfishes.  These  are  eel-like  crea- 
tures with  round  sucking  mouths  and  no  jaws— in  this 
unlike  fishes  in  the  true  application  of  the  word.  They 
are  without  scales,  true  teeth  or  paired  limbs,  and  their 
backbone  is  but  a  thread  of  cartilage. 

2.  Sharks  and  Rays,  which  are  fishes  with  soft  skeletons 
and  small  bony  scales.  They  are  the  most  primitive  of  the 
ancient  type  of  fishes.  Numerous  specimens  will  be  found 
suspended  from  the  ceiling  and  in  cases. 

3.  Chimaeroids  or  Ratfishes.  These  are  nearly  scaleless, 
living  mostly  in  the  deep  sea  and  belonging  to  the  group  of 
silver  sharks.  The  most  characteristic  forms  are  repre- 
sented by  models. 

4.  Lungfishes,  found  in  the  rivers  of  Australia,  Africa  and 
South  America.  These  ancient  and  nearly  extinct  forms  of 
salamander-like  fishes  are  shown  by  specimens  of  the  three 
surviving  types.  The  African  type  passes  the  months  when 
the  streams  are  dried  up  in  cocoon-like  form,  during  which 
time  it  breathes  only  with  its  lungs. 

55 


HAMMERHEAD     SHARK 


DEEP-SEA    FISH 


SAND    SHARK 


PADDLEFISH 


56 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

5.  Ganoids,  which  are  mainly  bony-scaled  fishes  and 
were  most  numerous  in  the  early  geologic  ages.  The  stur- 
geon, garpike,  paddlefish,  bowfin  and  African  bichir  are 
among  the  present  survivors.  An  excellent  habitat  group 
of  the  paddlefish  is  reproduced.  The  roe  of  these  fishes  is 
an  important  article  of  commerce  and  constitutes  what  is 
known  as  "American  caviar." 

6.  Teleosts  or  Bony  Fishes.  This  group  comprises  about 
10,500  species,  or  more  than  nine  tenths  of  all  the  forms 
of  our  food  and  game  fishes.  A  selected  number  of  exam- 
ples of  this  group  is  temporarily  installed  in  the  Bird  Hall 
and  includes  bass,  carp,  cod,  eel,  herring  and  tilefish,  which 
latter  recently  has  become  a  popular  food  fish. 

Inspection  should  be  made  of  the  Deep  Sea  Group, 
showing  types  found  at  a  depth  as  great  as  3,000  fathoms, 
or  more  than  three  miles.  Nearly  all  the  deep-sea  fishes 
are  provided  with  luminous  organs  which  are  distinctly 
brought  out  in  the  group  by  a  cleverly  arranged  electrical 
device.  Near-by  is  the  mounted  record  specimen  of  an 
ocean  sunfish  (Mold),  measuring  ten  feet  two  inches  from 
tip  to  tip.  In  other  parts  of  the  Corridor  are  groups  of  the 
shovel-nosed  sturgeon,  bowfin  and  garpike. 


57 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

WEST  CORRIDOR 
Local  Birds 

"Never  look  for  birds  of  this  year  in 
the  nest  of  last  year." 

Cervantes. 

In  this  room  are  specimens  of  all  the  varieties  of  birds 
which  have  been  known  to  occur  within  fifty  miles  of  New 
York  City,  a  General  Collection  of  all  birds  likely  to  be  seen 
within  this  area,  arranged  according  to  the  American  sys- 
tem of  classification,  and  the  Seasonal  Collection  which  is 
changed  each  month  so  that  those  interested  in  the  study 
of  bird  life  may  ascertain  what  birds  they  may  expect  to  find 
during  the  current  month. 

In  another  section  are  the  stragglers  from  other  parts  of 
the  country  which  have  been  found  within  our  limits.  Then, 
too,  there  is  a  table  case  containing  the  eggs,  often  with 
the  nest,  of  those  species  known  to  nest  within  fifty  miles 
of  the  city,  and  facing  the  entire  collection  a  well  executed 
life-size  bust  of  John  Burroughs,  that  ardent  lover  and  keen 
and  kindly  observer  of  nature. 

At  the  extreme  northern  end  of  the  Corridor  along  the 
stairway  is  a  number  of  original  plates,  drawings  and  paint- 
ings by  John  J.  Audubon. 


58 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

SOUTHWEST  WING 

Ancient  Monuments  of  Mexico  and  Central  America 

"At  every  step  some  palace  meets  the  eye, 
Some  figure  frowns;  some  temple  courts  the  sky." 

Southt  y. 

Here  is  contained  an  exposition  of  the  most  ancient 
monuments  of  Mexico  and  Central  America.  The  repro- 
ductions are  chiefly  from  sculptures  of  Maya  and  Nahua 
Indians  made  before  Columbus  reached  America.1 ;: 

On  the  left  is  an  exhaustive  series  of  pottery,  jade  and 
stone  work,  mostly  from  Costa  Rica,  deposited  in  the  Mu- 
seum by  Minor  C.  Keith.  This  collection  is  supplemented 
by  more  than  500  gold  specimens  which  have  been  placed 
in  cases  in  the  center  of  the  hall.  All  of  them  are  of  pre- 
Spanish  times  and  were  made  when  many  ornaments  were 
worn  by  the  Indians.  They  include  beads,  pins,  nose  and 
arm  trinkets  and  a  large  number  of  golden  bells  in  the 
form  of  monkeys,  jaguars,  birds,  butterflies,  frogs  and  liz- 
ards. Singularly,  vegetative  motives  are  almost  entirely 
lacking.  Accompanying  the  gold  objects  are  ornaments  of 
polished  jade,  the  designs  upon  which  are  highly  conven- 
tionalized figures  of  birds  and  animals;  also  of  interest  are 
a  few  original  molds  made  of  rosin,  which  when  used  in 
the  process  of  manufacture  were  encased  in  clay,  the  pitch 

13  Hand  book  in  press. 

59 


MEXICAN    AND   CENTRAL    AMERICAN    SCULPTURES 


60 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

being  melted  out  and  the  gold  poured  in.    Mixed  casting,  as 
well  as  plating,  is  represented. 

Opposite  the  Costa  Rican  material  is  a  number  of  stone 
sculptures  made  by  the  Maya  peoples,  who  were  remark- 
able above  all  other  cultured  American  nations  for  their 
architecture,  calendar  and  hieroglyphic  system.  Their 
hieroglyphic  records  were  carved  or  painted  originally  upon 
the  walls  of  their  temples  and  palaces,  or  written  in  books 
made  of  maguey  paper.  A  great  deal  of  attention  has  been 
given  to  the  Maya  language,  which  has  been  forceful 
enough  to  remain  unsupplanted.  Many  of  the  monuments 
bear  designs  of  priest-like  beings  who  carry  serpents  and 
other  ceremonial  objects  in  their  hands. 

There  is  a  number  of  reproductions  of  the  stelae  and 
altars  of  Copan  arranged  in  order  from  the  oldest  and 
crudest  forms  to  the  latest  and  finest  examples,  covering  a 
period  of  nearly  three  hundred  years.  The  early  stelae  are 
characterized  by  carvings  in  very  low  relief  with  sharp  cor- 
ners, while  the  later  monuments  are  cut  deeper  and  in 
more  rounded  form.  In  the  collection  is  the  cast  of  the 
so-called  Turtle  Stone  of  Quirigua,  which  represents  a  two- 
headed  monster  covered  with  several  layers  of  ornament- 
A  small  model  standing  in  front  of  the  large  cast  will  per- 
mit the  visitor  to  make  a  close  examination  of  the  designs. 

Nahua  culture  is  represented  by  many  pottery,  copper, 
obsidian  and  jade  objects  and  by  musical  instruments.  In 
one  case  are  facsimile  reproductions  of  native  books  or 
codices,  originally  painted  in  freehand  on  strips  of  deer 

61 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

skin.  The  early  Spaniards,  in  their  zeal  to  destroy  the 
native  religion,  burned  hundreds  of  these  books,  which 
recorded  their  ceremonial  rites  and  historical  events. 
Occasionally,  for  preservation,  some  of  these  were  pasted 
on  the  walls  of  the  native  churches  and  coated  with  light 
plaster,  in  later  years  to  be  brought  to  light  by  explorers. 

The  Aztecs,  the  principal  tribe  to  settle  in  Mexico, 
founded  their  capital  city,  called  Tenochtitlan,  on  marshy 
islets  in  Lake  Texcoco  about  the  year  1325.  Tradition 
states  that  this  location  was  pointed  out  by  the  gods.  An 
eagle  perched  upon  a  prickly  pear  cactus  plant,  the  nopal, 
strangling  a  serpent,  now  forms  the  national  seal  of  Mexico. 

The  cast  of  the  sacrificial  stone,  or  Stone  of  Tizoc,  at  the 
west  end  of  the  hall,  is  a  record  of  some  of  the  principal 
Aztec  conquests  made  before  1487,  and  the  calendar  stone 
on  the  south  wall  is  a  graphic  representation  of  the  four 
prehistoric  creations  and  destructions  of  the  world,  as  well 
as  a  symbol  of  the  sun  and  a  record  of  the  divisions  of  the 
year. 

In  another  portion  of  the  hall  is  a  model  of  a  cruciform 
tomb  found  at  Guiaroo,  near  the  ruins  of  Mitla.  A  large 
reproduction  of  this  tomb,  in  part,  may  be  found  by  visiting 
the  restaurant  in  the  basement  of  the  building. 


62 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

SOUTHWEST  PAVILION 

Prehistoric  Men  of  North  America 

This  hall,  in  the  main,  is  given  over  to  a  systematic  out- 
line of  the  archaeology  of  North  America;  the  exhibit  in  the 
Tower  Room  adjoining,  to  Old  World  archaeology.  The 
objects  have  been  grouped  according  to  areas  and  states. 
Typical  objects  of  ancient  pottery,  arrow-heads,  stone  axes 
and  other  implements  of  stone  and  bone,  most  of  which  are 
from  burial  mounds,  are  exhibited.  The  most  important  of 
these  are  the  rude  implements  and  fragments  of  human 
bones  from  the  Trenton  gravels,  which  form  conclusive 
evidence  of  the  antiquity  of  man  on  this  continent.  The 
cases  on  either  side  of  the  entrance  to  the  Tower  Room  are 
devoted  to  physical  anthropology. 

In  the  Tower  Room,  adjoining,  will  be  found  many  stone 
implements  and  rude  carvings  from  men  of  the  Old  Stone 
Age  of  Egypt,  Denmark  and  southwestern  Europe.  Upon 
the  walls  are  copies  of  paintings  of  bison,  mammoths, 
horses,  wolves  and  reindeer  from  the  caves  of  Altamira 
and  Font  de  Gaume  in  Spain  and  France  respectively.  It 
is  of  interest  to  compare  the  crude  stone  implements  of  this 
period  with  those  finely  worked  objects  of  a  similar  nature 
in  the  collections  of  our  early  Indians  in  the  hall  just  vis- 
ited. 


63 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

WEST  WING 

Collections  from  Africa 

"So  geographers  in  Afric  maps 
With  savage  pictures  fill  their  gaps." 

Swift. 

This  hall  differs  from  others  containing  ethnographical 
specimens  in  having  introduced  a  number  of  characteristic 
African  mammals.  While  inspecting  the  exhibits  the  visi- 
tor would  do  well  to  bear  in  mind  that  the  installation  is 
geographical,  i.e.,  collections  from  the  natives  of  south 
Africa  (Bushmen,  Hottentots  and  Negroes)  are  installed 
on  the  south  or  entrance  side  of  the  hall,  those  from  the 
tribes  of  east  Africa  on  the  right  or  east  side,  those  from 
the  north  at  the  north  end,  and  those  from  the  west  along 
the  west  side. 

On  the  south  the  exhibits  are  given  over  to  material  col- 
lected from  among  the  Bushmen,  the  most  ancient  and 
primitive  of  African  natives.  Full-size,  life-like  plaster 
figures  of  the  natives,  also  their  works  of  art  and  their 
implements,  are  exhibited.  That  the  negro  is  above  all  an 
artisan  in  iron  work  is  demonstrated  by  the  finished  prod- 
ucts (curiously  formed  knives,  axes  and  spears)  which  are 
in  evidence  throughout  the  hall.  While  his  work  as  a 
blacksmith  seems  to  predominate,  one  must  not  lose  sight 
of  his  work  in  textiles.  In  the  large  central  rectangle  de- 
voted to  Congo  ethnology,  are  beautiful  examples  of  this 

64 


AFRICAN    KNIVES   AND   BOXES 
AFRICAN    VILLAGE 
NATIVES    WITH    SPECIMENS    SECURED    R\     LANG-CHAPIN     I  MM  1)1 


65 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

art.  The  products  of  the  loom  are  represented  by  the 
beautifully  woven  pile  cloths  of  the  Bakuba,  woven  by  the 
men  from  patterns  supplied  by  the  women. 

In  addition  are  numerous  finely  carved  wooden  vessels, 
images,  basketry  and  well  molded  pottery  vessels.  In  the 
northwestern  section  of  the  hall  are  bronze  and  brass  cast- 
ings made  by  a  process  similar  to  that  used  in  Europe  in 
the  Renaissance  period.  Throughout  the  collections  are 
numerous  fetiches  and  charms  believed  to  give  security  in 
battle  or  to  avert  sickness  or  evils.  Masks  used  by  medi- 
cine men  are  also  in  evidence. 

As  an  addition  to  the  general  attractiveness  of  the  ar- 
rangement of  the  specimens,  there  is  a  mural  border  of 
typical  scenery  of  the  several  sections  of  the  Dark  Con- 
tinent. 

When  space  is  available  these  collections  will  be  greatly 
enhanced  by  the  addition  of  material  secured  on  a  Museum 
expedition  maintained  in  Africa  from  1909  to  1915. 


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66 


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THIRD  FLOOR 

EAST  CORRIDOR 

To  the  left  of  the  elevators  is  a  room  for  the  use  of  the 
Members  of  the  Museum.  Near-by  is  a  bronze  tablet  in 
memory  of  Jonathan  Thorne,  through  whose  generous  be- 
quest it  is  possible  for  the  Museum  to  provide  lectures  and 
objects  for  the  instruction  of  the  blind. 

On  the  stairway  walls  are  caribou  skulls  and  antlers. 


67 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 


SOUTHWEST  WING 
Mammals  of  the  World 

At  the  entrance  of  this  hall  is  a  well  mounted  specimen 
of  "Hannibal,"  an  African  lion. 

The  exhibit  is  designed  primarily  as  an  introduction  to 
the  study  of  the  orders  and  families  of  Mammals*  and  to 
indicate  the  relationships  of  existing  mammals  to  one  an- 
other and  their  point  of  origin  in  the  past.  The  series 
includes  a  typical  or  characteristic  example  of  every  family 
of  existing  mammals.    A  line  is  drawn  from  each  specimen 

*  The  class  Mammalia  is  divided  into  three  subclasses:  Proto- 
theria,  Metatheria  and  Eutheria. 

The  first  contains  a  single  order,  Monotremata,  represented  by 
the  duck-billed  Platypus  and  Echidna  (spiny  anteater)  of  Aus- 
tralia. 

The  second  likewise  contains  a  single  order,  Marsupialia,  or 
pouched  animals,  like  opossums,  kangaroos,  wombats,  etc. 

The  third  subclass  is  the  largest  and  most  important  and  em- 
braces Insectivora,  the  insect  eaters,  like  porcupines,  shrews  and 
moles;  Chiroptera,  the  bats;  Carnivora,  flesh-eating  mammals, 
like  bears,  ocelots,  wolves,  coyotes,  martens,  hyenas,  walruses, 
seals,  etc.;  Rodentia,  the  gnawers,  including  squirrels,  rabbits, 
mice,  rats,  beavers,  etc.;  Edentata,  such  as  sloths,  lesser  anteaters 
and  armadillos;  Ungulata,  a  very  important  group  of  hoofed  ani- 
mals, containing  deer,  tapirs,  rhinoceroses,  horses,  swine,  camels, 
cattle,  giraffes,  goats,  sheep  and  a  few  others;  Proboscidea,  ele- 
phants, extinct  mammoth,  mastodon,  etc.;  Sirenia,  dugongs  and 
manatees;  Cetacea,  whales  and  dolphins;  Primates,  the  highest 
order,  comprising  lemurs,  monkeys,  apes  and  man. 

68 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

to  a  diagrammatic  representation  of  the  later  geologic 
periods— Tertiary  and  Quaternary— indicating  the  time  in 
the  world's  history  at  which  the  given  family  probably 
originated.  The  visitor  should  examine  first  the  wall  case 
on  the  left  containing  specimens  illustrating  the  Characters 
and  Evolutionary  Rank  of  Mammals  and  follow  the  series 
around  the  room.  It  has  been  so  arranged  as  to  present  in 
graphic  form  the  past  history  and  development  of  the  prin- 
cipal divisions. 

In  another  part  of  the  hall  is  a  life-size  model  of  a  sul- 
phurbottom  whale  seventy-six  feet  in  length.  Attached  to 
one  of  the  pillars  may  be  seen  a  model  of  a  whale's  head 
showing  the  whalebone,  which  takes  the  place  of  teeth  and 
hangs  in  great  plates  from  the  inside  of  the  upper  jaw. 
Suspended  from  the  ceiling  are  models  of  other  whalebone 
whales  and  of  the  toothed  sperm  whale,  and  skeletons  of 
smaller  whales. 

Circling  the  hall  is  a  marine  mural  frieze  which  serves  as 
a  background  for  models  of  porpoises,  dolphins  and  other 
members  of  the  whale  family. 

In  the  railing  cases  are  exhibits  which  give  the  visitor  a 
general  view  of  the  enormous  Class  of  Insects.  There  is 
a  special  exhibit  of  the  Butterflies14  Found  Near  New  York 
City,  another  of  the  "Moths  of  the  Limberlost"  and  one  of 
the  Plant  Galls  Caused  by  Insects. 


14  Our  Common  Butterflies— .15. 

69 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 


SOUTHEAST  PAVILION 
Hall  of  Insect  Life 


'For  where's  the  state  beneath  the  firmament 
That  doth  excel  the  bee  for  government?" 

Du  Bartas. 


The  installations  in  this  hall  are  arranged  in  a  continuous 
series,  beginning  at  the  rail  cases  farthest  to  the  left,  and 
are  numbered  so  that  they  can  be  easily  followed. 

First  is  the  section  showing  the  importance  of  insects, 
i.e.,  the  losses  they  occasion  to  crops  and  the  diseases 
spread  by  them,  also  the  benefits  they  render  by  pollination 
of  many  of  our  crops  and  flowers. 

Next  are  sections  explaining  the  terms  used  in  the  clas- 
sification of  insects,*  followed  by  a  series  giving  a  summary 
of  the  principles  of  evolution,  as  illustrated  by  insects. 

*  Insects  are  grouped  into  orders  mainly  according  to  the 
nature  of  their  wings.  Beginning  with  the  highest  class  of  In- 
secta  and  passing  downward,  the  principal  ones  are  as  follows: 

Diptera — Flies,  mosquitoes,  gnats,  midges  and  others:  Two- 
wiriged  insects  with  mouth  parts  formed  for  sucking. 

Hymenoptera— Bees,  wasps,  ants,  ichneumon  flies  and  other 
insects  having  four  membranous  wings  with  few  cross  veins. 
Mouth  parts  formed  for  biting  and  sucking. 

Coleoptera— Beetles.  Insects  with  hard  wing  covers,  the  inner 
membranous  pair  used  for  flying.  This  is  the  most  numerous 
order. 

70 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

Following  is  a  series  of  exhibits  concerned  with  the  lift- 
histories  of  insects,  their  relation  to  vegetation,  their  ene- 
mies and  the  means  used  by  man  to  combat  the  injurious 
species. 

In  other  sections  of  the  hall  are  exhibits  of  silkworm^, 
honey  bees,  seventeen-year  cicada,  mound-building  ants,  a 
group  of  monarch  butterflies  as  they  are  found  during  their 
migratory  period  in  early  autumn,  and  a  revolving  case 
showing  the  iridescence  of  opaque  insects. 

The  general  study  collection1"'  is  not  on  exhibition  but 
may  be  seen  on  the  Fifth  Floor  by  visitors  desiring  to  make 
a  more  extended  study  of  insect  life. 

Lepidoptera— Butterflies  and  moths.  Insects  with  four  wings, 
covered  with  overlapping  scales.    Mouth  parts  for  sucking. 

Hemiptera— All  true  bugs,  plant  lice,  seventeen-year  locusts. 
Insects  having  four  wings.     Mouth  parts  formed  for  sucking. 

Neuroptera— Ant  lion,  dobson  and  others.  Insects  having 
four  membranous  wings  with  numerous  veins.  Mouth  parts 
formed  for  biting. 

Odonata  — Dragon-flies  and  others.  Insects  with  four  mem- 
branous wings  finely  netted  with  veins.     Mouth  parts  for  biting. 

Orthoptera— Grasshoppers,  katydids,  crickets,  walking  sticks 
and  others.  Insects  usually  with  four  wings,  the  outer  pair 
being  straight  and  not  used  actively  for  flying,  the  inner  pair  or 
flying  wings  folded  like  the  plaits  of  a  fan.  Mouth  parts  formed 
for  biting. 

Thysanura— Spring    tails,    bristle    tails    and    others.      Insects 
without  wings,  which  undergo  no  metamorphosis.     In  some  cas 
there  are,  in  addition  to  the  six  legs  belonging  to  all  insects, 
rudimentary  legs  on  the  abdomen.     The  Thysanura  form  a  kind 
of  connecting  link  between  the  other  insects  and  the  myriapods. 

15  How  to  Collect  and  Preserve  Insects  — .10. 

71 


MEXICAN    COATI 
COLOBUS    MONKEY 


SKUNK 
AARD-VARK 


72 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

SOUTH  PAVILION 

Monkeys,  Apes,  Rodents  and  Bats 

This  hall  is  in  course  of  rearrangement;  in  the  final  plan 
it  is  intended  to  include  primitive  man  as  well  as  the  other 
members  of  the  order  Primates. 

Facing  the  entrance  is  a  group  of  Colobus  monkeys. 
The  specimens  in  the  group  have  been  selected  to  show  the 
stages  of  coloration  from  youth  to  old  age.  The  young  arc 
born  white,  but  their  color  changes  so  rapidly  that  this  fact 
was  long  doubted  even  by  scientists. 

On  three  sides  of  the  hall  — north,  east  and  south  are 
representative  specimens  of  monkeys  of  the  Old  and  the 
New  World.  One  large  case  contains  a  family  of  orang- 
utans, one  of  the  first  groups  of  large  animals  to  be 
mounted  in  this  country,  and  adjacent  are  examples  of  the 
gorilla.  The  chimpanzee,  "Mr.  Crowley,"  who  died  in 
1888,  after  living  in  Central  Park  Menagerie  for  five  years, 
is  near-by.  In  another  case  is  a  group  of  bats,  the  only 
mammals  that  fly,  and  in  a  wall  case  on  the  west  are  life- 
size  figures  of  the  three  best  defined  races  of  man,  i.e.,  the 
White  or  Caucasian,  represented  by  a  figure  of  a  Nor- 
wegian woman  in  holiday  attire,  the  Yellow  or  Mongolian, 
by  that  of  a  Chinese  farm  laborer,  and  the  Black  or  African 
race,  by  "Manziga,"  a  native  African  chief  of  the  Azande 
tribe. 

In  other  portions  of  the  hall  are  groups  of  birds:  wood- 

73 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

cock,  grouse,  quail,  partridge,  white-crowned  pigeon  and 
water  ousel.  The  last  named  bird  has  the  peculiar  habit 
of  suddenly  diving  into  the  water  and  while  beneath  the 
surface  walking  quietly  about  feeding  among  the  pebbles 
on  the  bottom. 

From  the  ceiling  hangs  a  skeleton  of  the  North  Atlantic 
right  whale.    Proceed  to  the 


SOUTH  CENTRAL  WING 

Habitat  Bird  Groups 

"Happy  birds,  that  change  their  sky 

To  build  and  brood;  that  live  their  life 

From  land  to  land." 

Tennyson. 

Preeminent  for  their  faithful  portrayal  of  the  life  of 
birds  are  the  groups  which  the  visitor  should  now  inspect. 
Designed  to  illustrate  not  only  the  habits  but  also  the 
haunts  of  the  species  represented,  there  are  usually  installed 
in  each  group  adult  bird  or  birds,  nest,  eggs  and  young. 
The  pictures  of  their  homes  are  from  nature,  not  fanciful 
sketches,  each  with  its  definite  locality,  therefore  possess- 
ing a  geographical  as  well  as  an  ornithological  value.16 

Beginning  with  the  case  at  the  entrance  and  passing  to 
the  right,  the  groups  are  arranged  in  the  following  se- 
quence: 

Orizaba  Group.    In  the  foreground  is  the  luxuriant  vege- 

i6  The  Habitat  Groups  of  North  American  Birds— .25. 

74 


DUCK   HAWK 
CALIFORNIA    CONDOR 


75 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

tation  one  finds  at  the  upper  border  of  the  tropical  zone. 
Perched  in  this  growth  are  parrots,  toucans,  trogons,  mot- 
mots  and  other  tropical  birds.  The  studies  for  this  view 
were  made  at  Cordova,  Vera  Cruz.  In  the  central  back- 
ground is  snow-capped  Orizaba,  on  the  left  a  view  of  the 
Rio  Blanca. 

Summer  Bird  Life  of  Cobb's  Island.  Common  terns, 
skimmers,  gull-billed  terns,  oyster-catchers,  Wilson's  plov- 
ers and  other  birds  are  shown  on  a  portion  of  a  shell- 
strewn  sand-bar,  Cobb's  Island,  off  the  coast  of  eastern 
Virginia.  This  locality  forms  an  ideal  resort  for  sea-birds, 
beyond  the  reach  of  their  most  common  enemies,  and  the 
surrounding  waters  furnish  an  abundant  and  unfailing  food 
supply. 

Duck  Hawk.  Fearless  in  pursuit  of  its  prey.  An  adult 
bird  is  bringing. a  pigeon  to  its  young.  The  nest  is  shown 
against  a  background  representing  the  Palisades  of  the 
Hudson  northward  from  "The  Gorge"  at  Englewood,  New 
Jersey.    Across  the  river  on  the  right  is  Yonkers. 

August  Bird  Life  of  the  Hackensack  Meadows.  Trav- 
elers to  and  from  New  York  are  familiar  with  the  marshy 
land  about  the  Hackensack  River  and  Newark  Bay,  but  few 
realize  the  abundant  bird  life  found  in  the  rushes  at  this 
season  of  the  year.  Specimens  of  bobolink,  sora,  red- 
winged  blackbirds,  swallows,  rails  and  the  rare  wood  duck 
may  be  seen  in  the  group  among  the  rose  mallows,  cardinal 
flowers,  sagittaria  and  pickerel  weed. 

76 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

Wild  Turkey.  Distinctly  an  American  bird  which  for- 
merly ranged  throughout  the  wooded  portions  of  the  east- 
ern United  States  from  southern  Maine  and  southwestern 
Ontario,  southward  to  Florida,  New  Mexico,  Arizona  and 
the  Mexican  tablelands.  The  wild  turkey  has  now  become 
rare  and  is  seldom  found  farther  north  than  Pennsylvania 
and  Ohio.  The  birds  differ  from  the  domesticated  turkey 
chiefly  in  the  color  of  the  tips  of  the  tail  feathers  and  upper 
tail-coverts. 

Florida  Great  Blue  Heron.  While  a  rather  homely  ob- 
ject on  the  ground,  in  flight,  with  its  neck  folded  and  great 
wings  slowly  flapping,  the  heron  appears  quite  stately. 
Herons  are  often  miscalled  "cranes."  They  are  found 
throughout  North  America,  and  live  on  frogs,  fish  and 
reptiles. 

Water  Turkey  or  Snakebird.  A  few  miles  west  of  St. 
Lucie,  Florida,  may  be  found  a  scene  such  as  is  here  de- 
picted. The  water  turkey  has  also  been  called  'snake- 
bird,"  from  its  resemblance  to  a  serpent  when  swimming 
near  the  surface,  with  its  long,  slender,  snakelike  neck 
above  the  water.  The  young  of  these  birds,  like  the  young 
of  pelicans  and  cormorants,  secure  their  food  from  the  par- 
ent's throat. 

Sandhill  Crane.  These  birds  are  still  to  be  found  on  the 
great  Kissimmee  Prairie  in  Florida.  In  March  they  com- 
monly build  a  little  island  nest  in  the  water-filled  depres- 
sions with  a  species  of  pickerel  weed.    Their  nest-building 

77 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OE  NATURAL  HISTORY 

is  preceded  by  singular  antics  of  courtship— males  and 
females  hop,  skip  and  jump  about,  bowing  low  and  leaping 
high,  all  the  time  croaking  and  calling. 

Brown  Pelican.  The  studies  for  this  group  were  made 
on  Pelican  Island  in  the  Indian  River  of  Florida.  The  birds 
are  shown  in  different  stages  of  growth  and  in  various 
occupations.  In  the  foreground  may  be  seen  several  young 
birds  feeding  on  the  predigested  fish  which  has  been  re- 
gurgitated by  the  parent  bird. 

American  Egret.  Probably  no  species  of  bird  has  suf- 
fered more  from  the  depredation  of  the  plume  hunter  than 
the  egrets.  Now  that  adequate  laws  have  been  framed  and 
provisions  made  for  their  preservation,  these  birds  may 
again  become  as  numerous  as  in  former  years.  The 
aigrettes  are  acquired  by  the  birds  prior  to  the  nesting 
season.  As  the  season  advances  they  become  frayed  and 
dirty  and  are  shed.  The  sketches  for  the  background  were 
made  from  trees  at  an  average  height  of  forty-five  feet. 
The  birds  were  studied  and  photographed  from  a  moss- 
draped  blind  attached  to  the  limb  of  a  tree  in  a  rookery  in 
the  swamps  of  North  Carolina. 

Turkey  Vulture  or  Turkey  Buzzard.  Once  regarded  as  a 
useful  scavenger  and  protected  by  law,  it  is  now  regarded 
with  suspicion  on  account  of  its  spreading  hog  cholera  as 
a  result  of  feeding  on  carrion.  The  locality  shown  is  Plum- 
mer's  Island,  in  the  Potomac,  just  above  Washington. 

Cactus  Desert,  Bird  Life.     Mockingbirds  and  thrashers, 

78 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OE  NATURAL  HISTORY 

cactus  wrens,  road-runners,  quail,  nighthawks,  doves,  spar- 
rows and  other  birds  are  shown  on  a  great  cactus-covered 
desert,  characteristic  of  the  more  arid  portions  of  southern 
Arizona.  Various  species  of  cactus,  candle  bush  and  palo 
verde  in  blossom  form  part  of  the  accessories. 

California  Condor.  The  studies  for  this  group  were  made 
in  Piru  Canon,  fifty  miles  southwest  of  Santa  Barbara, 
California.  The  condor's  rapid  decrease  is  believed  to 
have  been  caused  by  its  feeding  on  poisoned  carcasses  of 
sheep  and  other  cattle  exposed  by  ranchmen  as  a  bait  for 
predatory  animals. 

Brandt's  Cormorant.  About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  off  the 
coast  near  Cypress  Point,  Monterey,  California,  is  such  a 
scene  as  is  here  pictured.  The  cormorant  is  an  expert 
diver  and  the  Chinese  and  Japanese  fishermen  make  use  of 
it  as  an  assistant  in  their  occupation. 

Summer  Bird  Life  of  the  San  Joaquin  Valley.  Formerly 
a  dry  and  arid  region,  irrigation  has  transformed  this  land 
into  a  series  of  creeks,  ponds  and  marshes.  In  the  group 
are  stilts,  avocets,  killdeer,  terns,  night  herons,  ibises, 
coots,  and  various  species  of  ducks.  The  studies  for  this 
group  were  made  at  Los  Bafios. 

A  Flamingo  Colony.  Prior  to  1904,  the  time  when  the 
studies  for  this  group  were  made,  very  little  was  known 
concerning  the  nesting  habits  of  flamingoes.  At  this  time 
an  expedition  from  the  Museum  to  the  Bahamas  was  suc- 
cessful in  discovering  a  rookery  containing  more  than  2,000 

79 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

birds  and  in  making  a  series  of  studies  and  photographs  of 
their  habits.  The  birds  lay  a  single  egg  in  May  in  a  nest 
constructed  by  scooping  up  mud  with  the  bill  and  patting  it 
down  with  the  bill  and  feet.  The  nests  are  raised  to  a 
height  of  from  eight  to  fourteen  inches  to  protect  the  con- 
tents from  water.  Both  sexes  incubate,  one  by  day  and  the 
other  by  night.  The  young  bird  is  fed  by  the  mother  on 
predigested  food.  When  hatched  it  is  covered  with  brown 
colored  down,  and  it  does  not  assume  the  brilliant  plumage 
of  the  adult  until  five  or  six  months  old. 

The  Booby  and  the  Man-o'-War  Bird.  The  male  man- 
o'-war  bird  has  a  remarkable  habit  of  inflating  its  throat- 
pouch  until  it  resembles  a  toy  balloon.  With  its  great  wing 
expanse  of  between  seven  and  eight  feet,  the  man-o'-war 
bird  is  one  of  the  most  powerful  and  graceful  of  fliers.  The 
boobies  were  found  to  nest  only  on  the  ground.  The  scene 
is  reproduced  from  studies  made  on  Cay  Verde,  a  coral  islet 
in  the  Bahamas. 

A  Florida  Rookery.  In  the  group  are  roseate  spoonbills, 
snowy  American  egrets,  herons,  ibises,  cormorants  and  wa- 
ter turkeys.  Studies  made  on  an  islet  in  Cuthbert  Lake, 
Florida. 

Whistling  Swan.  These  birds  are  noted  for  their  clear, 
far-reaching  voices.  They  are  fierce  fighters,  striking  dan- 
gerous blows  with  the  bony  knob  on  the  wing  and  using  bill 
and  claws  vigorously.  This  is  now  one  of  the  rarest  birds 
in  North  America,  there  being  no  recent  records  of  its  nest- 

80 


EGRET 


BRO\XN    PELICAN 


Wllnul'lNi;    CRANE 


81 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

ing.   Reproduced  from  studies  made  on  Southampton  Island 
in  the  mouth  of  Hudson  Bay. 

Whooping  Crane.  This  is  the  largest  bird  in  the  United 
States,  measuring  four  feet  from  tip  of  bill  to  tip  of  tail, 
from  seven  to  eight  feet  from  tip  to  tip  of  the  wings  and 
standing  nearly  as  tall  as  a  man.  The  group  shows  the 
birds  as  they  doubtless  once  appeared  on  the  shores  of 
Heron  Lake,  Minnesota,  a  region  they  are  known  to  have 
inhabited. 

Golden  Eagle.  The  natural  food  of  the  golden  eagle  in 
the  west  consists  chiefly  of  small  mammals,  such  as  prairie 
dogs,  rabbits  and  squirrels,  but  also  of  ducks  and  grouse. 
Occasionally  it  takes  a  young  deer  or  antelope.  On  the 
whole,  however,  it  is  a  beneficial  bird  because  of  the  large 
number  of  rodents  it  destroys.  Where  sheep  have  been  in- 
troduced it  may  become  more  or  less  injurious  through  its 
acquired  habit  of  preying  on  lambs.  It  differs  from  the 
bald  eagle,  the  common  eagle  of  the  eastern  states,  in  color 
and  in  having  the  legs  feathered  quite  to  the  toes.  Repro- 
duced from  studies  made  at  Bates's  Hole,  fifty  miles  north 
of  Medicine  Bow,  Wyoming. 

A  Klamath  Lake  Bird  Colony.  On  the  borders  of  Kla- 
math Lake,  situated  in  northeastern  California  on  the  Ore- 
gon boundary  line,  a  number  of  colonies  of  white  pelicans, 
California  and  ring-billed  gulls,  terns,  cormorants  and  blue 
herons  have  established  their  nests.  The  group  shows  the 
border  of  a  tule  island  in  the  Lake,  while  in  the  background 

82 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

are  other  bird-inhabited  islets,  the  surrounding  treeless  hills 
and  Mount  Shasta  in  the  distance. 

Arctic  Alpine  Bird  Life.  Eight  thousand  feet  above  the 
sea,  where  the  summits  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  Sierras 
and  Cascade  Range  reach  above  timber-line  to  the  regions 
of  perpetual  snow,  there  is  bird  life  such  as  appears  in  this 
group:  white-tailed  ptarmigans,  snow  finches  and  pipit- 
Great  white  anemones,  heather  and  other  flowers  are  in 
bloom.  The  studies  for  this  group  were  made  in  the 
Canadian  Rockies  about  fifteen  miles  north  of  Laggan  at 
the  Ptarmigan  Lakes.  Mount  Temple,  Mount  Redoubt  and 
other  peaks  of  the  range  are  easily  identified. 

Sage  Grouse.  This  well  known  game  bird  is  found  in  the 
high  sage  brush  on  the  Plains,  from  western  Nebraska  and 
western  Dakota  north  to  the  Canadian  boundary,  west  to 
eastern  Oregon  and  northeastern  California,  east  to  the 
Sierras  and  south  through  Utah  and  Nevada.  The  studies 
for  the  group  were  made  at  Medicine  Bow,  Wyoming,  on 
the  line  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad.  Elk  Mountain  is  at 
the  right  and  the  mountains  in  the  distance  belong  to  the 
Snowy  Range  of  Colorado.  In  the  group  may  be  seen  a 
male  grouse  strutting  and  wooing  a  mate. 

Prairie  Chicken.     The  courtship  demonstrations  of  the 
prairie  hen  occur  during  the  mating  season,  from  March 
until  early  May.  Before  daybreak  the  male  birds  go  through 
most  surprising  antics  in  their  efforts  to  attract  the  female 
The  feather  tufts  on  each  side  of  the  neck  are  erected,  the 

83 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

tail  raised  and  spread,  the  wings  drooped  and  the  orange- 
like air-sacs  on  the  side  of  its  neck  inflated.  Then  with  a 
violent,  jerking,  muscular  effort  it  produces  the  booming 
note  which  can  be  heard  at  a  great  distance.  The  scene 
represents  a  frosty  morning  on  the  United  States  Forest 
Reservation  in  western  Nebraska. 

Wild  Goose.  These  birds  arrive  from  the  south  before 
the  ice  leaves  the  lakes.  They  lay  their  eggs  in  early  May 
in  northern  Canada.  The  sketches  for  the  group  were  made 
at  Crane  Lake,  Saskatchewan. 

A  Western  Grebe  Colony.  These  birds  find  ideal  nesting 
places  with  other  aquatic  birds  about  the  shores  of  Crane 
Lake,  Saskatchewan.  They  walk  with  difficulty,  and  their 
homes  must  therefore  be  near  the  water.  They  are  very 
shy  and  when  setting  leave  the  nest  at  the  slightest  alarm. 

The  Loon.  The  loon  is  famous  for  its  skill  as  a  diver, 
and  there  are  stories  of  its  being  caught  on  "set  lines"  at  a 
depth  of  from  forty  to  sixty  feet.  It  swims  with  great  speed, 
and  its  call,  a  familiar  sound  on  the  northern  New  England 
lakes,  is  said  by  the  superstitious  to  indicate  the  approach- 
ing death  of  some  person  in  the  vicinity.  Though  wintering 
on  salt  water,  it  nests  on  the  fresh-water  lakes. 

Bird  Rock.  Here  is  reproduced  a  scene  on  Bird  Rock  in 
the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  Seven  species  of  birds  are  shown 
nesting  in  the  group:  common  murre  and  Brtinnich's 
murre,  gannet,  kittiwake  gull,  razor-billed  auk,  puffin  and 
Leach's   petrel.     Cartier,   who   recorded   his   visit   to   the 

84 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

island  in  1534,  said  that  "these  islands  were  as  full  of  birds 
as  any  meadow  is  of  grass  .  .  ."  Return  to  the  South 
Pavilion  and  enter  the 


WEST  CORRIDOR 
Public  Health 

"All  diseases  quenched  by  Science,  no  man  halt 
or  deaf  or  blind." 

Tennyson. 

In  a  prominent  position  in  the  entrance  way  is  a  bronze 
bust  of  Louis  Pasteur,  the  founder  of  modern  bacteriology, 
to  whose  researches  we  are  indebted  for  the  establishment 
of  the  germ  theory  of  disease. 

Directly  in  the  foreground  is  a  case  containing  a  remark- 
able model  of  the  flea,  120  times  the  length  of  the  actual 
insect,  in  bulk  the  equal  of  1,728,000  fleas. 

Near-by  is  a  model  of  the  body  louse,  the  carrier  of 
typhus  fever,  one  hundred  times  the  length  of  the  insect 
itself,  and  adjacent  and  more  noticeable  than  eimer  of  the 
above,  a  model  of  the  fly,  over  twelve  inches  long  and  hav- 
ing the  bulk  of  64,000  flies.  This  is  the  finest  model  of  ifs 
kind  ever  made  and  more  than  a  year  of  constant  work  wa 
required  to  construct  it.  The  deadly  work  of  the  fly  as  a 
disease  carrier  and  the  practical  methods  by  which  it  nun 
be  controlled  are  illustrated  in  adjacent  cases. 

At  the  left  is  an  exhibit  dealing  with  the  natural  source 

85 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

of  water  supply,  its  contamination  and  pollution,  storage, 
filtration,  disinfection  and  purification. 

A  series  of  five  large  relief  maps  shows  the  development 
of  the  water  supply  of  New  York  City. 

Following  are  models  and  charts  illustrating  the  improper 
disposal  of  sewage  and  how  it  can  be  avoided,  the  polluted 
waters  of  New  York  Harbor  commonly  used  as  bathing 
places  and  shellfish  beds;  models  of  the  latest  and  most 
approved  types  of  sedimentation  tanks,  filter  beds  and 
screens  are  included. 

The  shapes  and  relative  sizes  of  many  forms  of  bacteria 
are  illustrated,  and  window  transparencies  show  how  the 
more  important  bacterial  forms  appear  under  the  micro- 
scope. 

The  ravages  of  the  "Black  Death,"  or  bubonic  plague,  are 
well  illustrated,  with  habitat  groups  of  the  rats  and  ground 
squirrels  which  serve  as  intermediate  hosts  for  its  microbes. 

The  mosquito,  the  carrier  of  malaria  and  yellow  fever, 
has  its  section,  as  well  as  such  other  disease  carriers  as  the 
tick  and  bedbug,  and  the  Glossina,  which  transmits  sleep- 
ing sickness. 

Exhibits  are  also  installed  illustrating  military  hygiene 
and  sanitation  and  the  rations  of  troops  in  the  field. 

The  exhibit  is  a  portion  of  a  comprehensively  planned 
Hall  of  Public  Health  which  ultimately  will  cover  a  much 
wider  field.  The  exhibits  now  installed  cover  with  reason- 
able completeness  the  topics  of  water  supply,  sewage  dis- 
posal and  insect-borne  disease. 

86 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

Near  the  stairway  is  a  reading  table  where  booklets  on 
insect-borne  diseases  and  public  health  problems  may  be 
consulted. 

The  collection  of  objects  relating  to  the  life  and  works 
of  John  j.  Audubon  is  installed  along  the  stairway.  Con- 
tinue to  the 


SOUTHWEST  WING 
Indians  of  South  America 

"Let  observation  with  extensive  view 
Survey  mankind,  from  China  to  Peru." 

Johnson. 

Included  in  this  hall  are  archaeological  collections  from 
the  ancient  peoples  who  lived  along  the  western  and  north- 
western coasts  of  South  America,  and  ethnological  speci- 
mens from  Indians  who  now  live  in  Brazil,  Paraguay  and 
Argentina. 

Near  the  entrance  is  a  case  containing  gold,  silver,  plati- 
num, copper  and  plated  objects  from  Bolivia,  Ecuador, 
Colombia  and  Peru,  consisting  of  miniature  human  figures, 
vessels,  implements  and  ornaments  recovered  from  prehis- 
toric graves  and  burial  places. 

On  the  immediate  right  is  an  exhibit  of  textiles  from 
mummies  and  graves,  together  with  examples  of  the  raw 
material  and  weaving  tools  used  in  their  manufacture.' 
The  fabrics  made  by  the  ancient  Peruvians  stand  unrivaled 

17  Peruvian  Mummies— .10. 

87 


PERUVIAN    MUMMY 


STONE   SEAT    FROM    ECUADOR 


NAZcA    POTTERY 


PERUVIAN    MUMMY 


88 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

among  those  of  ancient  peoples.  They  were  acquainted 
with  every  style  of  weaving  known  to-day,  and  some  of  then 
tapestry,  in  its  fineness  of  weave,  beauty  of  color  and  de- 
sign, has  never  been  excelled.  Underneath  some  exqui- 
sitely designed  and  colored  ponchos  is  a  specimen  secured 
from  a  mummy  bundle  which  is  the  best  piece  of  plain 
tapestry  in  the  collection  and  so  far  as  known  the  finest 
example  of  this  class  of  weaving  in  the  world.  There  are 
44  warps  and  between  280  and  300  weft  threads  per  inch 
The  ornamental  stripe  is  in  bobbin  weave  resembling  mod- 
ern Jacquard  weave.  At  the  left  of  the  entrance  is  a  cas« 
containing  exhibits  which  illustrate  the  ancient  burial  cus- 
toms of  the  Peruvians. 

From  Colombia  is  a  large  series  of  ancient  terra-cotta 
stamps  for  printing  cloth,  pottery  vessels  and  stone  imple- 
ments from  ancient  burial  mounds,  in  both  human  and  ani- 
mal forms,  together  with  a  series  of  specimens  illustrating 
the  manufacture  of  tapioca. 

From  Ecuador  is  a  great  variety  of  pottery  and  unique 
stone  seats,  and  in  the  exhaustive  series  of  pottery,  gold, 
silver  and  copper  objects  will  be  noticed  original  specimens 
which  are  figured  by  E.  G.  Squier  in  "Incidents  of  Travel 
and  Exploration  in  the  Land  of  the  Incas." 

Numerous  interesting  objects  have  been  secured  from 
Chile,  the  most  conspicuous,  however,  being  the  mummy, 
in  the  case  near  the  west  end  of  the  room,  which  was  found 
in  a  copper  mine  near  Chuquicamata,  Chile.  The  body  is 
that  of  an  Indian  who  was  killed  while  engaged  in  mining 

89 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

copper.  The  tissues  of  the  body  have  been  preserved  by 
the  copper  salts  with  which  it  was  impregnated.  In  the 
same  case  are  the  implements  he  was  using  at  the  time  of 
his  death. 

The  pottery  collections  from  Nazca  and  lea  in  Peru  and 
the  islands  of  Lake  Titicaca  in  Peru  and  Bolivia  contain 
specimens  remarkable  for  their  unique  forms,  beautiful 
coloring  and  the  attractiveness  of  the  conventionalized  de- 
signs. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  hall  is  a  series  of  skulls  showing 
trephining,  artificial  deformation  and  pathological  condi- 
tions, together  with  a  number  of  skulls  of  normal  form  for 
comparison.  Near-by  is  a  collection  of  musical  instruments 
from  the  Incas,  comprising  whistling  jars,  wooden  and  clay 
trumpets,  gongs  and  bells  of  bronze  and  copper,  gourd 
rattles,  Panpipes  and  bone  and  cane  flutes. 

Differing  in  form  and  workmanship  from  the  stone  yokes 
in  the  Mexican  collection,  but  without  doubt  closely  related 
in  use,  are  the  stone  collars  to  be  found  in  the  Porto  Rican 
collection.  Their  use  is  problematical;  by  some  authorities 
they  are  believed  to  be  the  regalia  of  sacrificial  victims,  of 
military  heroes,  of  ecclesiastics  or  members  of  some  privi- 
leged caste. 

Attention  is  called  to  the  exhibit  of  feather  work  and 
embroidery  as  represented  by  ponchos,  belts,  headdresses 
and  other  articles  of  dress  distributed  throughout  the  hall. 

The  gallery  rail  cases  contain  pottery,  copper,  gold  and 
silver  objects  of  many  types  and  of  peculiar  designs,  quipus 

90 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

or  knotted  cords  used  to  keep  accounts,  specimens  of  food 
and  medicines,  charms  and  implements.  Grewsome  evi- 
dence of  the  savage  character  of  some  of  the  existing  tribes 
of  the  southern  continent  is  given  by  the  shrunken  human 
heads  in  one  of  the  cases.    Adjoining  is  the 


SOUTHWEST  PAVILION 

Chinese  and  Siberian  Collections 

"Strange  customs  do  thrive  in  foreign  soil." 

Schiller. 

The  Chinese  collection  (on  the  left)  illustrates  the  home 
industries  and  social  life  as  they  existed  among  the  common 
people  of  China  fifteen  or  more  years  ago,  before  the  trans- 
formation of  the  empire  from  a  patriarchal  system  of  gov- 
ernment into  a  modern  commonwealth.  Excellent  examples 
of  porcelain,  terra-cotta  and  glass  work  in  the  form  of  orna- 
ments, utensils  and  other  articles  of  every-day  use,  together 
with  objects  of  bamboo,  palm  fiber,  cane  and  basketry,  will 
be  found  in  cases  in  the  eastern  end  of  the  hall.  Attention 
is  directed  to  the  horn  lanterns  made  by  welding  softened 
layers  of  ram's  horn  into  one  mass.  One  case  contain> 
specimens  of  trays,  boxes  and  panels  inlaid  with  mother-of- 
pearl,  ivory  and  various  woods.  Another  case  contains  an 
exhibit  of  cloisonne  and  cinnabar  lacquer  work,  shown  by 
boxes,  vases  and  trays,  together  with  the  material  used  in 
its  manufacture.     Other  cases  contain  rugs,  stone,  wood 

91 


CHINESE   CLOISONNE 


92 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

and  ivory  carvings,  decorative  panels,  household  utensils 
and  implements  used  in  various  occupations. 

In  the  Tower  Room  is  a  rare  and  valuable  collection  of 
ancient  pottery  and  bronzes,  including  mirrors,  gongs, 
flower  vases,  libation  cups,  censers,  bells,  dishes  and  other 
objects  from  the  Han  Dynasty,  206  B.a-220  a.d.,  Leuch'ao 
or  Six  Dynasties,  220-618  a.d.,  T'ang  Dynasty,  618  905 
a.d.,  Sung  Dynasty,  960-1278  a.d.,  Ming  Dynasty,  1368- 
1628  a.d.,  Last,  or  Manchu  Dynasty,  1644-1912  a.d.  From 
the  Sung  Dynasty,  960-1278  a.d.,  is  a  flower  vase  of  100 
rings;  only  three  of  these  bronze  vases  are  in  existence. 
From  the  Chou  Dynasty,  1122-255  B.C.,  may  be  seen  a 
temple  bell  inlaid  with  gold  and  silver,  which  when  struck 
on  the  different  knobs  produces  a  different  musical  sound 
for  each,  and  an  unusual  type  of  vessel  in  one  casting,  and 
from  the  Shang  Dynasty,  1766-1 154  B.C.,  a  libation  cup  for 
offering  wine  to  deceased  ancestors. 

Other  specimens,  illustrating  the  religious  and  home  life, 
including  a  large  image  representing  the  Buddhist  God  of 
Mercy,  which  has  eleven  heads  and  forty-two  arms,  masks. 
images,  altar  sets,  cosmetics,  clothing,  and  tobacco  and 
opium  pipes,  are  installed  in  the  cases  on  the  west  side  of 
the  hall. 

From  Siberia  numerous  specimens  of  clothing,  weapons, 
household  utensils, fishing  and  hunting  implements,  religious 
objects,  carvings,  musical  instruments  and  toys  illustrate 
the  home  and  social  life  of  the  Chukchee,  Koryak,  Lamoot, 
Yukaghir,  Yakut  and  Russianized  natives.  Among  the  speci- 

93 


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94 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL   HISTORY 

mens  obtained  from  these  remarkable  peoples,  the  visitor 
should  examine  the  fishskin  garments  from  the  tribes  of  the 
Amoor  River,  decorated  with  elaborate  conventionalized 
designs  and  geometric  patterns,  the  beautiful  bead  and  em- 
broidered work,  armor  worn  in  warfare  by  the  Koryak, 
utensils  used  in  manufacturing  kumyss  by  the  Yakuts  an  J 
the  many  remarkable  pieces  of  inlaid  fur  work  in  the  form 
of  rugs  and  articles  of  dress.  Metal  work  is  also  well  illus- 
trated by  elaborately  engraved  objects  of  beaten  silver, 
consisting  of  girdles,  neck  pieces,  bracelets,  earrings  and 
silver-decorated  saddles. 

From  the  ceiling  is  suspended  a  walrus-skin  boat  made 
by  the  collectors  of  a  Siberian  expedition  of  this  Museum 
and  used  by  them  for  thirty-two  days  in  traveling  and  trans- 
porting their  material  from  Indian  Point  to  Mariinsky  Post, 
a  distance  of  more  than  1,200  miles.    Enter  the 


WEST  WING 
Shells 

" — a  rose-lipped  shell  that  murmured 
of  the  eternal  sea — " 

Holland. 

Here  the  visitor  will  find  a  fairly  exhaustive  collection  of 
marine,  fresh-water  and  land  shells,  showing  remarkable 
contrasts  of  form  and  great  diversity  of  ornamentation  in 
the  nearly  25,000  species  represented. 

95 


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96 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

Facing  the  entrance  are  shells  of  the  giant  clam,  Tridacna 
gigas,  measuring  forty-three  inches  by  twenty-seven  inches 
and  weighing  579  pounds.  These  were  found  near  the 
Philippine  Islands.  They  are  used  as  holy-water  fonts  and 
bird  baths.  Formerly  axe-heads  and  chisels  were  made 
from  the  thicker  portions. 

The  wall  cases  on  the  south  side  contain  a  series  showing 
the  classification  of  mollusks;  the  eight  table  cases  at  the 
south  and  north  ends  of  the  hall,  the  land  shells;  the  rail 
cases  on  the  north,  east  and  west,  the  bivalves,  or  mollusks 
with  two  shells,  like  the  oyster,  clam  and  scallop;  the  indi- 
vidual metal  cases,  univalves,  those  mollusks  having  but 
one  shell  or  valve. 

The  south  section  of  the  rail  cases,  behind  the  "big 
shells,"  Tridacna,  contains  a  series  of  unusually  large  and 
fine  examples  of  the  various  species  represented  and  also  a 
typical  collection  of  the  cypraeas  or  cowries. 

At  the  rear  of  the  hall  is  a  number  of  shells  showing  or- 
namental and  decorative  uses,  together  with  a  number  of 
deformed,  abnormal  and  curious  shells,  the  deformations  of 
which  are  attributed  to  internal  (physiological)  or  external 
(physical)  causes.  Other  cases  contain  specimens  illus- 
trating the  anatomy  and  habits  of  mollusks. 

Maps  and  labels  on  the  walls  show  the  distribution  and 
importance  of  the  many  families  of  mollusks  exhibited. 


97 


ASPHALT  GROUP 
TYRANNOSAURUS 


98 


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FOURTH  FLOOR 

EAST  CORRIDOR 

Immediately  in  front  of  the  elevators  is  a  wall  case  in 
which  recently  acquired  specimens  are  installed.  Near  the 
stairway  landings  are  fossil  skeletons  of  the  Mosasaur,  or 
great  marine  lizard  from  the  chalk  beds  of  Kansas,  and  a 
number  of  Ichthyosaurs,  from  the  slate  quarries  of  Holz- 
maden,  Germany.  One  of  the  Ichthyosaurs  contains  the 
skeletons  of  seven  young,  unborn,  partly  within  and  partly 
drifted  out  of  the  body  cavity. 


99 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

SOUTHEAST  WING 

Hall  of  the  Age  of  Mammals 

The  skeletons  in  this  and  the  adjoining  halls  are  those 
of  extinct  mammals,  most  of  which  have  been  buried  for  so 
long  that  they  have  become  petrified.  In  a  few  instances, 
however,  such  as  the  great  Irish  deer  and  mastodon,  the 
skeletons  are  not  petrified,  and  their  present  good  condition 
is  due  to  their  complete  burial  for  ages  in  peat  bogs,  in  the 
frozen  soil  of  northern  Alaska  or  in  deposits  of  asphalt.18 

To  give  the  visitor  a  clear  idea  of  how  these  extinct  crea- 
tures appeared  in  life,  many  of  the  skeletons  have  been 
removed  from  the  matrix  in  which  they  were  found,  and 
have  been  mounted  in  lifelike  attitudes;  their  probable 
appearance  and  habits  are  illustrated  by  water-color 
restorations,  plaster  models  and  descriptive  labels.  The 
arrangement  of  the  specimens  is  intended  to  show  the  his- 
tory or  evolution  of  different  races  of  animals,  chiefly  in 
North  America. 

In  the  first  right-hand  alcove  is  the  largest  and  finest 
series  of  fossil  skeletons,  illustrating  the  Evolution  of  the 
Horse,19  possessed  by  any  museum.  Beginning  with  the 
earliest  known  ancestor  of  the  horse,  Eohippus,  three  hands 
(twelve  inches)  high,  with  its  four  complete  toes  on  each 
fore  foot  and  three  on  each  hind  foot,  the  successive  stages 

18  Animals  of  the  Past— .35. 

19  Evolution  of  the  Horse— .20. 

100 


EOHIPPUS 
UINTATHER1UM 


101 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

of  development  or  types  of  gradual  elevation  are  repre- 
sented by  specimens  of  Orohippus,  four  hands  high,  Meso- 
hippus,  five  hands  high,  Merychippus,  nine  hands  high, 
Hipparion,  ten  hands  high,  and  Equus  scotti,  the  original 
North  American  horse,  fourteen  hands  high.  Although  the 
remains  of  these  fossil  species  of  horse  are  abundant  in 
North  America  in  the  latest  geological  formations,  they  all 
became  extinct  in  the  New  World  long  before  the  discovery 
of  America  by  the  Spaniards.  There  are  no  traces  of  the 
horse  in  the  Aztec  history  of  America  or  in  the  knowledge 
of  any  of  the  South  American  peoples  or  even  in  the  myths 
of  the  American  Indian. 

To  typify  the  conquest  of  the  horse  by  man,  a  skeleton  of 
each,  mounted  in  an  erect  position,  is  in  a  near-by  case. 
The  entire  series  is  supplemented  by  excellent  plaster  res- 
torations and  water-color  sketches. 

Across  the  hall  from  the  horse  exhibit  is  a  series  of  speci- 
mens showing  the  Evolution  of  the  Camel,  Deer  and  other 
cloven-footed  animals.  Next  to  the  horses,  the  camels 
furnish  the  most  striking  series  illustrating  the  evolution 
of  a  race  of  animals.  The  oldest  known  had  four  toes  on 
each  foot  (probably,  like  other  races,  descended  from  a 
five-toed  ancestor  as  yet  undiscovered) .  In  each  successive 
formation,  the  race  increased  in  size  and  gradually  lost  the 
side  toes,  consolidating  the  middle  pair  into  a  "cannon- 
bone."  An  interesting  exhibit  is  the  large  block  containing 
five  skeletons  of  a  small  extinct  camel,  found  in  a  quarry 
near  Agate,  Nebraska. 

102 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

Next  are  the  giant  pigs,  or  Elotheres,  and  the  mounted 
skeleton  of  a  pigmy  hippopotamus.  Directly  opposite  will 
be  found  the  Rhinoceroses,  abundant  in  North  America  in 
former  geological  ages,  represented  by  six  complete  skele- 
tons and  a  large  number  of  skulls  of  living  and  extinct  kinds 
from  North  America,  Europe,  Asia  and  Africa.  Adjacent 
are  skeletons  of  Titanotheres,  extinct  gigantic  animals 
somewhat  resembling  the  rhinoceros  in  general  form,  found 
in  the  Oligocene  formations  of  North  America.  The  most 
recent,  or  final,  stage  of  evolution  of  these  animals  is  repre- 
sented in  the  mounted  skeleton  of  a  specimen  found  in 
South  Dakota,  fourteen  feet  long,  eight  feet  high  and  four 
feet  broad.  In  the  end  wall  case  is  a  series  of  skulls,  show- 
ing the  stages  of  evolution,  and  plaster  restorations  of  the 
heads  of  different  genera  are  on  the  wall  near-by. 

The  remaining  alcove  sections  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
hall  contain  early  Tertiary  ancestors  of  the  dogs,  cats  and 
other  small  mammals  such  as  the  rodents,  marsupials  and 
insectivores,  the  lemurs  and  monkeys,  concluding  with  the 
exhibit  of  Uintatheres,  extinct  horned  animals  about  the  size 
of  a  rhinoceros,  found  fossil  in  the  Eocene  deposits  of 
western  United  States. 

In  the  center  of  the  hall  are  especially  interesting  groups 
and  specimens  including  the  Asphalt  Group,  from  Rancho 
La  Brea,  California,  which  will  well  repay  attention.  Other 
skeletons  and  skulls  from  this  remarkable  fossil  deposit  are 
shown  in  their  appropriate  places  in  the  hall. 


103 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

SOUTHEAST  PAVILION 
Dinosaur  Hall 

"Thou  speakest  of  times  that  long 
have  passed  away." 

Schiller. 

In  this  hall  are  skeletons  of  fossil  reptiles  and  fishes  be- 
longing to  an  older  geological  period  than  do  the  specimens 
in  the  hall  previously  visited.  The  dinosaurs  were  the  great 
terrestrial  vertebrates  of  their  day,  the  Age  of  Reptiles 
(3,000,000  to  10,000,000  years  ago),  and  there  was  a  great 
variety  of  forms,  but  all  had  long  hind  limbs  and  long  and 
generally  massive  tail.20 

Dominant  over  other  specimens  is  the  amphibious  dino- 
saur Brontosaums,  mounted  in  the  center  of  the  hall.  This 
specimen  is  sixty-six  feet  eight  inches  in  length,  sixteen  feet 
in  height,  and  the  animal  is  estimated  to  have  weighed 
thirty-five  tons.  Beside  it  is  a  fossilized  tree  trunk,  part  of 
it  carbonized  or  turned  into  coal,  while  the  rest  is  silicified 
or  turned  into  stone. 

At  the  right  is  the  large  carnivorous  dinosaur  Allosaurus, 
mounted  to  represent  the  animal  feeding  on  the  carcass  of 
a  Brontosaums.  At  the  left  of  Brontosaarus  stand  two 
specimens  of  the  duck-bill  dinosaur  Trachodon,  and  imme- 
diately in  front  of  them  is  an  extraordinary  "mummified" 
specimen  of  the  same  species,  in  which  a  large  part  of  the 

20  Dinosaurs— .25., 

104 


BRONTOSAURUS  SMILODON 


\\  ARREN     MASTODON 


105 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

skin,  showing  its  texture,  is  preserved.  Near-by  are  speci- 
mens of  Pterodactyls,  or  flying  reptiles,  and  a  mounted 
specimen  of  a  peculiar  marine  bird,  Hesperornis  regalis, 
from  the  Cretaceous  of  Kansas.  This  bird,  like  the  more 
ancient  Archceopteryx,  which  is  the  earliest  bird  known,  had 
a  row  of  small  teeth  in  the  jaws,  a  reminiscence  of  its  rep- 
tilian ancestry,  but  it  had  lost  the  long  reptilian  tail  which 
Archceopteryx  still  preserved. 

Immediately  at  the  right  of  the  entrance  are  the  newly 
discovered  and  recently  mounted  skeletons  from  the  Creta- 
ceous of  Alberta,  Canada,  of  the  crested  duck-bill  dinosaur 
Saurolophus,  a  herbivorous  reptile,  the  helmet  duck-bill 
dinosaur  Corythosaurus,  with  its  crested  head  similar  to 
that  of  a  cassowary,  the  horned  dinosaur  Monoclonius  and 
the  bird-like  dinosaur  Ornithomimus. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  hall  is  the  finest  collection  of 
fossil  turtles  in  any  museum,  also  specimens  of  finback 
lizards  (Naosaurus  and  Dimetrodon) ,  a  specimen  of  Dia- 
dectes,  a  reptile  with  a  solid-roofed  skull,  and  one  of 
Eryops,  a  primitive  amphibian  which  inhabited  the  great 
swamps  of  the  coal  period  and  was  one  of  the  earliest  land 
vertebrates.  The  latter  represents  the  primitive  amphibians, 
which  are  regarded  as  the  ancestors  of  reptiles,  birds  and 
mammals  as  well  as  of  the  modern  amphibians  (frogs, 
etc.).  These  and  other  smaller  specimens  in  the  adjoining 
wall  case  are  more  ancient  than  the  dinosaurs  and  lived  at 
the  time  when  the  coal  measures  of  Pennsylvania  were 
being  formed. 

106 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

At  the  eastern  end  of  the  hall  are  skeletons  of  smaller 
dinosaurs  and  several  fine  skulls  of  horned  dinosaurs,  Cera- 
topsia,  from  the  Upper  Cretaceous  of  Wyoming  and 
Alberta,  the  most  interesting  example  being  that  of  Tricera- 
tops,  seven  feet  in  length,  with  its  three  large  horns  and 
heavy  bony  frill  extending  back  and  over  the  neck.  In 
other  sections  will  be  seen  a  portion  of  a  skeleton  of  Tyran- 
nosaurus  rex  (king  of  tyrant  saurians)  and  the  remains  of 
an  armored  dinosaur,  Ankylosaurus. 

Above  the  entrance  to  the  Tower  Room  of  the  Southeast 
Pavilion,  are  the  reconstructed  jaws  of  a  huge  fossil  shark 
in  which  the  actual  teeth  are  arranged  as  in  the  sharks  of 
to-day,  in  banks  or  rows.  This  is  the  largest  and  most  for- 
midable fish,  living  or  extinct,  of  which  there  is  any  record. 
The  teeth  were  found  in  the  phosphate  beds  of  North  Caro- 
lina, and  after  the  jaws  of  live  species  were  carefully  meas- 
ured, the  model  was  prepared  according  to  scale.  It  is 
known  that  a  specimen,  in  which  the  largest  tooth  was  one 
and  one  half  inches  in  height,  measured  twenty  feet  in 
length,  and  that  another,  having  teeth  three  inches  in 
height,  had  a  total  length  of  forty  feet.  It  therefore  follow- 
that  the  length  of  this  Carolina  shark,  whose  teeth  meas- 
ured six  inches,  was  approximately  eighty  feet,  comparing 
with  the  largest  modern  whales  in  size. 

In  cases  at  the  right  and  left  of  the  entrance  are  exhibits 
illustrating  the  forms,  structure  and  development  of  typical 
recent  fishes. 

The  exhibits  in  the  Tower  Room  comprise  the  remains  of 

107 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

fossil  fishes  illustrating  the  rise  and  differentiation  of  the 
lowest  vertebrates  from  the  earliest  (Upper  Silurian)  time 
(ending  20,000,000  years  ago)  to  recent  (Quaternary)  time 
(ending  3,000,000  years  ago).  Most  of  the  forms  repre- 
sented are  North  American  and  belong  to  five  great  divi- 
sions. 

The  first  three  cases  confronting  the  visitor  contain 
specimens  of  the  armored  fish-like  forms,  some  of  which 
were  of  huge  size  and  armed  with  powerful  teeth,  or  sharp- 
ened jaw  blades.  This  form  is  best  represented  by  the 
fish-like  animal  Dinichthys,  displayed  in  the  center  of  the 
room.  Dinichthys  lived  about  20,000,000  years  ago  in  the 
sea  that  existed  on  the  site  of  the  present  State  of  Ohio, 
and  was  one  of  the  most  destructive  and  ferocious  animals 
that  ever  lived  in  the  sea.  Although  fish-like  in  appearance, 
it  is  regarded  as  belonging  to  a  more  primitive  class  of  ver- 
tebrate animals.  The  head  and  front  half  of  the  body  were 
protected  by  heavy  plates  of  bone,  and  it  had  powerful  jaws 
with  "fangs"  in  front  of  and  behind  them,  knife-like  cutters 
which  chopped  against  each  other. 

In  the  first  alcove  to  the  left  is  a  "fossil  aquarium,"  de- 
signed as  an  aid  in  interpreting  the  fossils  in  the  adjoining 
cases,  and  it  undoubtedly  gives  an  accurate  picture,  since 
all  the  fishes  shown  were  found  in  a  single  locality  and  in  a 
single  layer  of  Old  Red  Sandstone. 

Proceeding  to  the  right  the  visitor  finds  the  sharks,  rays 
and  chimaeroids,  which  are  the  earliest  true  vertebrates  with 
cartilaginous  skeletons  and  jaws,   followed  by  the   lung- 

108 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

fishes,  the  fringe-finned  fishes,  shark-like  in  form  and  fin- 
but  with  dermal  bones  and  bony  skeleton,  and  finally  the 
spiny-finned  fishes,  or  teleosts,  which  constitute  the  multi- 
tudinous forms  of  the  present  time  and  which  include  stur- 
geon, garpike,  cod,  herring,  perch  and  the  other  common 
bony  fishes.    Return  to  the  East  Corridor  and  enter  the 


SOUTH  PAVILION 
Hall  of  the  Age  of  Man 

"Far  must  thy  researches  go 
Wouldst  thou  learn  the  world  to  know." 

Confucius. 

Conspicuous  in  the  center  of  the  hall  is  a  skeleton  of  the 
giant  carnivorous  dinosaur  Tyrannosaurus  rex  (king  of 
tyrant  saurians),  measuring  forty-seven  feet  in  length  and 
standing  nineteen  feet  in  height.  It  can  safely  be  said  that 
Tyrannosaurus,  which  lived  three  million  years  ago,  is  the 
largest  terrestrial  flesh-eater  of  all  ages.  This  specimen 
forms  one  of  a  group  intended  as  the  central  exhibit  of  a 
new  hall.  Owing  to  lack  of  space,  however,  only  one  speci- 
men can  be  mounted  or  exhibited  at  the  present  time,  and 
this  is  placed  temporarily  in  the  Age  of  Man  Hall,  as  there 
is  not  room  in  the  Dinosaur  Hall  to  show  it  properly. 

On  the  left  is  a  series  of  skeletons  illustrating  the  evolu- 
tion of  the  horse  under  the  hand  of  man.  In  the  exhibit 
are  skeletons  of  the  Shetland  pony  and  draught  horses,  as 

109 


X 
O 


a 
z 

D 
O 

« 
o 

z 

< 

w 
S 

< 

O 
en 


110 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

well  as  those  of  the  well-known  race-horse  "Sysonby"  and 
the  thoroughbred  stallion  "Nimr." 

In  the  adjacent  wall  cases  is  an  interesting  osteological 
exhibit  showing  how  the  age  of  horses  is  determined 
through  the  growth  and  development  of  the  teeth. 

Beyond  the  horse  exhibit  are  groups  and  individual  speci- 
mens of  fossil  mammals  from  South  America,  the  most 
prominent  of  which  is  the  Giant  Ground  Sloth  Group,-1 
and  next  to  it  the  group  of  Glyptodons  or  tortoise-arma- 
dillos; skeletons  of  the  rhinoceros-like  Toxodon,  of  the 
camel-like  Macrauchenia,  the  short-legged  horse  Hippi- 
dium  and  of  the  diminutive  ground  sloths  that  formerly 
lived  in  Cuba  and  Patagonia. 

Near-by  in  the  center  of  the  hall  is  the  great  sabre-tooth 
tiger  from  South  America.  Numerous  specimens  of  a 
smaller  species  of  sabre-tooth  tiger  have  recently  been 
found  in  the  asphalt  deposits  of  California.  (See  the  As- 
phalt Group  in  the  Southeast  Wing.) 

At  the  immediate  right  of  the  skeleton  of  Tyrannosuurus 
is  a  number  of  A-shaped  cases  containing  an  exhibit  de- 
signed to  show  the  progress  of  discovery,  especially  in  the 
last  few  years,  with  regard  to  the  primitive  races  of  man 
which  inhabited  Europe  during  and  following  the  Great  Ice 
Age.  To  illustrate  the  successive  cultural  states,  there  are 
reconstructions  of  the  four  principal  ancestral  types  of  man, 
i.  e.,  Pithecanthropus  or  Ape-Man  of  Java,  Eoanthropus  or 
Piltdown  Man,  the  Neanderthal  Man  (Homo  neanderthal- 

21  The  Ground  Sloth  Group  — .05. 

Ill 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

ensis),  and  the  Cro-Magnon  Man  (Homo  sapiens).  In 
addition  to  the  casts  of  the  more  important  skulls,  there  are 
weapons  and  other  implements,  and  drawings  to  illustrate 
further  the  appearance  and  habits  of  paleolithic  man. 
These  specimens  served  as  subjects  to  illustrate  the  recent 
book  of  Professor  Henry  Fairfield  Osborn,  "Men  of  the  Old 
Stone  Age." 

The  remainder  of  the  hall  is  occupied  by  a  most  compre- 
hensive and  instructive  exhibit  of  mammoths,  mastodons 
and  elephants.22  The  Warren  Mastodon,  found  near  New- 
burgh,  New  York,  is  the  finest  specimen  of  its  kind  ever 
discovered.  The  Evolution  of  the  Mastodons  and  Elephants 
is  illustrated  by  a  series  of  skulls  and  separate  teeth. 

In  the  wall  cases  may  be  seen  portions  of  skin  and  hair 
and  other  fragments  of  a  mammoth  found  in  Alaska.  The 
plaster  models  of  living  and  extinct  elephants  by  Charles 
R.  Knight  are  worthy  of  examination.    Proceed  to  the 


SOUTH  CENTRAL  WING 
Geology  and  Invertebrate  Palaeontology 

"Stones  have  been  known  to  move  and  trees  to  speak." 

Shakespeare. 

North  of  the  Hall  of  the  Age  of  Man,  containing  the  mas- 
todons and  mammoths,  is  the  Hall  of  Geology  and  Inverte- 
brate Palaeontology.     At  the  entrance  to  the  hall  are  two 

22  Mammoths  and  Mastodons— .10. 

112 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL   HISTORY 

hemispherical  forms  which  illustrate  the  six  stages  in  the 
geographical  development  of  the  North  American  conti- 
nent. The  stages  represented  are  the  Upper  Cambrian, 
Middle  Devonian,  Upper  Triassic,  Lower  Cretaceous,  Up- 
per Cretaceous,  Upper  Oligocene.  On  each  model  the  pres- 
ent outline  of  the  North  American  continent  has  been 
superimposed  upon  that  of  the  ancient  lands  and  seas. 
They  differ  widely  from  the  modern  outlines  in  all  instances 
except  the  Oligocene,  which  is  more  nearly  like  the  present 
map.  These  models  represent  the  first  attempt  at  restoring 
the  relief  of  the  ancient  lands  on  a  curved  surface. 

The  desk  cases  down  the  center  of  the  hall  contain  the 
types  and  figured  specimens  used  by  James  Hall,  R.  P. 
Whitfield  and  others  in  the  original  description  and  naming 
of  species.  Most  of  the  American  specimens  are  from  New 
York  State,  although  there  are  many  from  the  Middle  West- 
ern States.  The  type  series,  as  it  is  designated,  is  arranged 
biologically  under  each  period,  beginning  with  the  oldest 
fossiliferous  period,  the  Cambrian,  at  the  entrance.  Geolo- 
gists regard  this  series,  with  its  10,000  specimens,  as  the 
largest  and  most  valuable  collection  of  fossil  invertebrate 
types  in  America.  Toward  the  far  end  is  a  beautiful  col- 
lection of  fossil  sponges  from  northwestern  Germany. 

The  specimens  in  the  upright  cases,  at  the  east  or  right- 
hand  side,  are  being  arranged  to  illustrate  the  development 
and  relationship  of  the  more  common  species  of  plants  and 
animals  of  past  geologic  times.  In  the  first  case  are  strik- 
ing examples  of  carbonization  and  silicification  of  woody 

113 


TRILOBITE 
AMMONITE 


CRINOID 
SEA-URCHIN 


VOLCANIC    "BREAD-CRUST       BOMB 


114 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

fiber,  ranging  from  Devonian  to  Recent  in  age.  A  large 
stump,  with  part  of  the  roots,  of  a  carboniferous  tree  from 
an  anthracite  coal  mine  under  Scranton,  Pennsylvania,  is 
in  the  first  alcove.  Near-by  are  many  typical  fossil  leaves 
arranged  systematically. 

In  the  remaining  upright  cases  is  a  select  series  of  fossil 
specimens  illustrating  the  species  of  the  various  biologic 
groups  of  the  animal  kingdom.  These  specimens  are  also 
arranged  systematically. 

The  specimens  on  the  left  or  west  side  of  the  hall  are 
being  arranged  to  illustrate  the  order  of  superposition  (one 
placed  above  the  other)  of  the  various  beds  of  sedimentary 
rock  in  the  earth's  crust  as  well  as  the  provincial  distribu- 
tion of  the  fossils  and  rocks  during  the  various  stages  of 
a  period.  The  series  begins  at  the  south  (near  the  en- 
trance) with  the  Archasozoic,  which  are  the  lowest  and  old- 
est of  all  rocks  and  contain  no  fossils.  These  are  followed 
by  the  Proterozoic  rocks,  which  contain  scant  remains  of 
life.  Beginning  with  the  Cambrian  period  and  continuing 
through  the  Ordovician,  Silurian,  Devonian,  Mississippian, 
Pennsylvanian,  Permian,  Triassic,  Jurassic,  Comanchian, 
Cretaceous,  Tertiary  and  Quaternary  periods,  life  shows 
marked  evolution  and  extinction  in  some  groups  and  but 
little  change  in  others.  When  it  is  stated  that  it  took  at 
least  30,000,000  years  to  deposit  the  sedimentary  beds 
from  the  Cambrian  to  the  Present  and  that  life  existed 
throughout  this  time,  the  length  of  life  of  man  sinks  into 
insignificance. 

115 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

In  three  of  the  alcoves  on  the  east  side  is  the  general 
collection  of  meteorites,  which  is  one  of  the  largest  and 
most  representative  in  this  country,  containing  specimens 
of  from  500  to  700  falls  and  finds  that  are  known  through- 
out the  world.  The  "stone  shower"  that  fell  near  Holbrook, 
Arizona,  in  1912  and  the  entire  mass  of  Ysleta,  1914,  are 
the  most  striking  recent  acquisitions. 

In  another  alcove,  on  the  east  side,  is  a  desk  case  con- 
taining a  series  of  rock  specimens  from  Manhattan  Island. 
This  is  arranged  geographically  from  south  to  north  and 
shows  the  character  of  the  rock  upon  which  New  York  City 
is  built.  In  the  northeast  corner  of  the  hall  is  a  model  of 
the  Copper  Queen  Mine  and  a  series  of  ores  and  other 
specimens  from  the  Bisbee-Warren  copper  district  in  south- 
ern Arizona. 

On  the  opposite  or  northwest  corner  is  a  display  of  caves 
and  cave  material,  including  a  reproduction  of  part  of  a 
cave  that  was  discovered  in  1910  in  mining  operations  at 
the  Copper  Queen  Mine,  and  alongside  is  a  reproduction  of 
a  chamber  in  Weyer's  Cave,  Virginia. 

Conspicuous  in  the  central  portion  of  this  section  is  a 
great  mass  of  copper  ore  about  three  feet  square  by  five 
feet  high,  weighing  three  and  one  half  tons.  It  contains 
more  than  a  ton  of  pure  copper,  besides  some  silver  and 
gold.  That  portion  in  streaks  of  beautiful  blue  is  azurite, 
and  that  in  green,  malachite. 


116 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL   HISTORY 

WEST  CORRIDOR 

Gems  and  Precious  Stones 

"Rich  and  rare  were  the  gems  she  wore, 
And  a  bright  gold  ring  on  her  wand  she  bore." 

Moor,. 

This  splendid  series  of  gems  and  precious  stones,  to- 
gether with  the  Bement  collection  of  minerals  in  the  adjoin- 
ing hall,  was  presented  to  the  Museum  by  J.  Pierpont  Mor- 
gan, a  founder  and  Trustee  of  the  institution.  It  include - 
many  large  and  rare  forms  of  cut  and  uncut  gems,  some  of 
which  cannot  be  duplicated. 

In  the  wall  cases  are  fine  examples  of  quartz,  gypsum, 
rubellite,  jade,  calcite,  opal,  and  of  Iceland  spar  which 
makes  a  double  refraction  of  light  rays,  thereby  causing 
objects  seen  through  it  to  appear  double. 

The  collection  is  especially  remarkable  for  its  many 
unique  specimens.  Among  these  may  be  mentioned  the 
most  perfect  large  sapphire  known,  a  Babylonian  axe-head 
of  banded  agate,  4,000  years  old,  and  a  wonderful  series 
of  sapphires,  blue,  pink,  salmon  and  brown.  There  is  also 
a  magnificent  series  of  beryls,  a  large  series  of  tourmaline^, 
and  an  immense  section  of  jade  from  a  boulder,  but  so  thin 
that  it  measures  not  more  than  an  eighth  of  an  inch  through. 
There  is  also  in  the  collection  a  great  hyacinth  with  the  por- 
trait of  Christ  engraved  on  it,  the  gift  of  a  Vatican  cardinal 
to  a  friend. 

117 


JADE   SCREEN 


CA.V.EO   CUTTING 


118 


QUARTZ   SPHERE 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

The  collection  numbers  more  than  2,000  gem  stones,  ob- 
jects of  precious  stone  and  nearly  2,500  pearls.  A  partial 
graduation  in  importance  and  value  is  obtained  by  the 
arrangement  of  the  gems  beginning  with  the  diamond  at 
the  extreme  south  and  passing  north  case  by  case,  in  each 
instance  the  raw  material  or  uncut  gem  being  placed  in  the 
center  of  the  case  and  the  cut  material  around  it. 

In  its  entirety  the  collection  is  the  most  extensive  and 
carefully  selected  display  of  rough  and  cut  stones  in  ex- 
istence, and  it  must  always  stand  as  a  wonderful  monument 
to  the  man  who  thus  generously  enriched  the  American 
Museum.    Proceed  to  the 


SOUTHWEST  WING 

Minerals 

Adjoining  the  Gem  Hall  is  the  Southwest  Wing  or  Hall 
of  Minerals. 2::  At  the  entrance  to  the  hall  is  the  case  con- 
taining recent  acquisitions.  The  general  collection  consists 
in  the  main  of  the  well-known  Bement  collection  and  in- 
cludes representative  species  of  the  known  minerals  of  the 
world.  Although  representing  a  large  number  of  rare  spe- 
cies, the  chief  fame  of  the  collection  rests  upon  the  variety 
of  forms  representing  the  commoner  minerals  and  the  ex- 
ceptional perfection  of  the  specimens.  The  more  attractive 
specimens  are  contained  in  the  cases  arranged  down  the 

23  The  Collection  of  Minerals— .05. 

119 


<   5 

c/5 


D 


120 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

center  of  the  hall.    The  remainder  are  arranged  according 
to  the  classification  of  minerals. 

In  the  first  cases  on  the  right  the  visitor  will  find  models 
illustrating  the  various  types  of  crystallization.  In  the  left- 
hand  wall  case  are  some  unusually  handsome  specimens  of 
agate  and  opal,  and  in  a  near-by  table  case  are  models  of 
some  of  the  most  famous  of  the  world's  diamonds,  includ- 
ing the  wonderful  Cullinan  diamond,  the  original  of  which 
was  valued  at  three  million  dollars,  and  the  largest  so  far 
discovered.    Continue  to  the 


SOUTHWEST  PAVILION 
Collections  from  the  Pacific  Islands 

Near  the  entrance  is  a  large  Hawaiian  feather  cape  made 
from  the  red  and  yellow  feathers  of  a  honey-sucker.  Such 
capes  formerly  were  worn  by  the  kings  and  chiefs  of  Ha- 
waii. In  the  center  of  the  hall  is  a  group  representing  a 
Tahitian  priest  in  the  firewalking  ceremony.  The  explana- 
tion of  the  fact  that  the  heated  rocks  do  not  cause  injury 
to  the  bare  feet  is  that  the  porous  basalt  is  a  bad  conductor 
of  heat,  so  that  while  the  stones  appear  to  be  of  forbidding 
heat  the  upper  surface  is  not  sufficiently  hot  to  cause  dis- 
comfort to  the  tough-soled  natives. 

On  the  left  of  this  group  is  another  showing  a  native 
Tahitian  engaged  in  making  kava,  a  stupefying  beverage 
prepared  from  the  roots  of  the  pepper  plant.  Piper  methys- 

121 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

ticum,  and  another  weaving  roof  coverings  of  pandanus;  on 
the  right  is  a  group  representing  a  native  Tahitian  grating 
cocoanut  and  another  making  fire  by  the  primitive  method 
characteristic  of  the  Polynesians,  by  means  of  the  fire- 
plough. 

With  the  exception  of  a  small  Australian  exhibit,  con- 
sisting of  boomerangs,  stone  implements  and  ceremonial 
objects,  the  entire  hall  is  devoted  to  collections  from  Poly- 
nesia, Melanesia  and  Micronesia. 

The  eastern  half  of  the  hall  contains  objects  from  Samoa, 
Hawaii,  Marquesas,  Cook,  Gilbert,  Savage,  Marshall,  Caro- 
line and  Tonga  Islands,  including  wooden  images,  tapa 
cloth,  weapons,  musical  instruments,  garments,  ornaments 
of  dress  and  models  of  canoes.  Especially  interesting  in 
the  northeast  corner  of  the  hall  are  the  suits  of  armor  and 
the  unique  series  of  weapons  from  the  Gilbert  Islanders. 
The  armor  is  woven  of  cocoanut  fiber  and  the  weapons  are 
set  with  sharks'  teeth.  The  old  mariner's  chart,  composed 
of  straight  and  curved  sticks  to  denote  the  course  of  the 
waves  while  small  pebbles  represent  the  atolls,  secured 
from  the  Marshall  Islanders  by  the  late  Robert  Louis  Ste- 
venson, will  also  repay  attention. 

In  the  southeastern  section  of  the  hall  are  fine  examples 
of  tapa  cloth,  canoe  models,  household  utensils,  garments, 
kava  bowls,  necklaces  and  weapons  from  Samoa  and  Fiji. 
Among  the  most  valuable  specimens  is  the  model  of  a  bure 
or  temple,  while  the  cannibal  forks  and  flesh  racks  are  prob- 
ably the  rarest  and  most  exceptional  in  museum  collections. 

122 


TAHITIAN    FIRE    WALKER 


M  \liRi     \\  ARHHIK 


123 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

In  the  front  of  the  Tower  Room  stands  a  life-size  cast  of 
a  Maori  warrior,  posed  in  an  attitude  of  defiance,  on  the 
largest  block  of  jade  in  any  museum  in  the  world.  Within 
the  Tower  are  specimens  of  Maori  carvings,  clothing  and 
tools,  together  with  a  remarkable  collection  of  the  tattooed 
heads  of  ancient  Maoris.  The  heads  are  thirty-five  in  num- 
ber and  illustrate  all  the  different  styles  of  the  art  of  tat- 
tooing as  practised  among  these  peoples  prior  to  1831,  when 
it  was  forbidden  by  the  British  Government. 

The  remainder  of  the  hall  contains  specimens  from  the 
Melanesians  of  New  Hebrides,  New  Caledonia,  New  Ire- 
land, New  Britain,  Admiralty,  Solomon  and  New  Guinea 
Islands.  In  these  exhibits  the  sacred  carvings  and  masks 
from  New  Ireland  and  the  grotesque  shields  and  ceremo- 
nials from  New  Guinea  are  especially  noteworthy.  Enter 
the 

WEST  WING 

Philippine  Islands 

Through  the  center  of  this  hall  will  be  found,  first  the 
model  of  an  Igorot  woman  weaving  on  a  native  loom,  next 
the  model  of  a  typical  house  of  the  better  class,  then  a  full- 
sized  outrigger  canoe,  a  water  filter  with  jars  and  rack  and 
lastly  one  of  the  tree-houses  of  the  Lake  Lanao  Moros. 

The  visitor  should  now  examine  the  exhibits  on  the  right 
or  east  side  of  the  hall. 

The  Negrito  collection  is  first.  These  pygmy  peoples  are 
believed  to  be  descended  from  the  first  inhabitants  of  the 

124 


IGOROT   HEAD-AXES,   SHIELD   AND   BASKET 

K.OROT    \\'I:A\  I  R 


B VCOBO    BAG 


125 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

islands.  They  are  true  savages,  depending  for  food  upon 
the  chase,  neither  living  in  villages  nor  building  stable 
huts,  but  roaming  through  the  mountains  in  small  groups  of 
a  few  families  each.  They  are  fleet  of  foot,  and  their  usual 
weapons  are  a  lance  of  bamboo,  a  palm  wood  bow  and  a 
quiver  of  poisoned  arrows.  They  use  as  ornaments  bamboo 
combs,  feather  headdresses,  rings  and  bracelets  of  brass  or 
copper,  and  braided  leg  bands  of  hog  bristles,  which  are 
supposed  to  give  them  endurance  and  make  them  fleet  of 
foot.  They  scarify  the  body,  and  such  scars  are  their  most 
highly  valued  adornment.  For  household  utensils  they  have 
only  a  few  cocoanut  cups  or  sea  shells,  rude  boxes,  the 
primitive  fire-saw  and  a  few  crude  musical  instruments. 

Then  follows  a  display  of  specimens  from  the  Mangyan, 
Tinguiane,  Manobo,  Tirurays  and  Igorot  tribes.  Of  these 
the  collection  from  the  Igorot  is  the  largest  and  most  rep- 
resentative. 

The  Igorot  form  the  largest  family  inhabiting  Luzon  and 
include  the  Dadayag,  Kalinga,  Ibelao,  Ipukao  and  numer- 
ous other  tribes  bearing  various  local  names.  They  consti- 
tute a  fine  race  of  agricultural,  head-hunting  barbarians. 
They  are  copper-colored  and  have  high  cheek-bones,  flat 
nose  and  thick  lips.  Their  hair  is  straight,  black  and  in 
many  areas  is  worn  long. 

The  men  are  exceedingly  well  developed  and  possess 
great  strength  and  power  of  endurance.  The  women  are 
well  formed  and  as  erect  and  graceful  as  any  women  in  the 
Orient;  their  dress  varies  from  a  mere  apron  of  leaves  to 
a  handsome  jacket  and  skirt  with  stripes  of  blue,  crimson 

126 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

and  white.  Tattooing  is  common  among  both  sexes.  With 
the  men  there  are  two  chief  motives  in  tattooing:  first,  it 

gives  a  man's  war  record,  telling  that  he  has  taken  a  human 
head;  second,  it  is  esthetic.  The  esthetic  is  the  governing 
motive  for  women's  tattoo.  The  Igorot  commonly  manu- 
facture iron  and  steel  bolos,  spears  and  battle  axes,  also 
earthenware  and  a  great  variety  of  cloth  of  native  cotton 
and  of  tree-bark  fiber.  Their  warlike  proclivities  are  rep- 
resented in  a  number  of  specimens  of  head-axes  and  head- 
hunting baskets.  The  name  given  to  these  baskets  is  a 
misnomer,  as  they  are  used  chiefly  for  carrying  food  and 
articles  of  personal  property.  The  musical  instruments 
of  the  Igorot  consist  of  gongs  and  clappers;  their  ornaments 
are  generally  of  brass  and  copper.  The  most  highly  prized 
ornament,  however,  is  the  shell  of  the  pearl  oyster,  Melea- 
grina  margaritifera,  which  the  Igorot  obtain  in  trade. 

Adjoining  the  Igorot  collections  is  a  series  of  specimens 
from  the  Samal  and  Sulu  Moros,  who  constitute  the  Mo- 
hammedan population  and  are  the  latest  comers  to  the  in- 
lands. Their  conversion  to  Mohammedanism  by  Arabian 
missionaries  in  the  twelfth  century  was  undoubtedly  the 
means  of  making  them  dominant  everywhere  south  of  the 
Visayan  Islands.  They  were  the  "Norsemen"  of  the  Orient, 
adventurous  navigators  and  fierce  fighters.  Their  history 
is  the  climax  of  Malay  piratical  power,  which  was  Pelt  for 
centuries  for  a  thousand  miles  both  north  and  south  of  their 
strongholds  in  Jolo.  Their  warlike  character  is  indicated 
by  the  predominance  of  krises,  both  straight  and  curved, 
spears  and  shields.    Their  domestic  life  is  represented  by 

127 


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128 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

examples  of  pottery  and  basketry;  their  musical  attain- 
ments by  gongs,  clappers  and  xylophones;  their  skill  in 
metal  work  by  lime  and  betel-nut  boxes,  vases  and  jars 
and  by  their  weapons. 

Adjoining  the  Moro  collection  are  two  cases  showing  the 
knives  and  blow-guns  of  the  peoples  inhabiting  the  Islands 
of  Sumatra,  Celebes  and  Java. 

The  western  side  of  the  hall  is  occupied  entirely  by  a 
most  elaborate  collection  from  the  Bagobo  of  southern 
Mindanao.  This  tribe,  numbering  a  few  thousands,  forms 
one  of  the  group  of  pagan  Malay  tribes  living  in  villages 
back  from  the  west  coast  of  the  Gulf  of  Davao.  They  are 
a  people  of  singular  beauty  with  clear,  golden  brown  skin, 
earnest  wide-open  eyes  and  mobile  faces  changing  from 
deep  seriousness  in  repose  to  sparkling  vivacity  in  conver- 
sation. 

In  dress  both  the  men  and  the  women  display  unusually 
good  taste.  The  men  wear  short  trousers  and  open  jackets 
and  carry  richly  beaded  bags  on  their  backs.  The  women 
are  generally  clad  in  scant-bodied,  scarlet-sleeved  waists 
and  straight  skirts,  woven  in  pictured  patterns.  They  gen- 
erally adorn  their  heads  with  bright  colored  handkerchiefs, 
wear  ivory  and  inlaid  plugs  in  their  ears  and  around  their 
necks  hang  pendants  of  finely  carved  seeds,  braided  bead- 
work  and  strung  flower  petals.  Attached  to  their  carrying 
bags  and  dresses  is  generally  a  number  of  small  bells.  Both 
men  and  women  chew  the  betel  nut,  and  specimens  of  their 
lime  and  betel-nut  boxes  may  be  seen  in  the  collection. 

129 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

In  weaving,  the  Bagobo  woman  has  attained  high  skill  in 
technique  and  continues  to  produce  patterns  which  she  has 
learned  from  her  mother  or  from  her  grandmother.  Their 
clothing  is  usually  woven  from  hemp  fiber.  In  the  collec- 
tion are  excellent  examples  of  their  weaving  art,  including 
those  having  complex  figures  made  by  tying  the  warp  be- 
fore the  weaving.  In  this  instance  the  fiber  is  stretched  on 
a  long  frame  of  bamboo,  and  to  make  a  pattern  the  woman 
picks  out  a  cluster  of  strands  at  varying  intervals,  binding 
each  into  knots  with  short  lengths  of  hemp.  So  tightly  are 
these  clusters  bound  that  when  the  whole  warp  is  afterward 
dyed,  no  color  can  penetrate  to  the  parts  thus  tied. 

The  Bagobo  are  fond  of  music,  and  many  kinds  of  musi- 
cal instruments  are  shown  in  the  collections.  Firm  in  their 
friendships,  they  are  quick  to  resent  an  injury  or  wrong. 
They  are  fierce  in  warfare  and  frequently  decapitate  their 
enemies. 

As  a  decorative  feature  of  the  hall,  but  one  which  also 
tends  to  give  unity  and  meaning  to  the  exhibit,  there  is  in- 
stalled a  wainscoting  of  native  woods,  which  constitutes 
one  of  the  largest  and  most  authoritative  collections  in  the 
world. 

Other  features  are  the  examples  of  pottery  and  basketry 
upon  the  tops  of  the  cases,  and  the  framed  mats,  many  of 
which  are  of  beautiful  design,  arranged  as  a  frieze. 

Owing  to  lack  of  exhibition  space,  it  is  impossible  to  dis- 
play the  large  collections  (now  in  storage)  from  the  Chris- 
tian tribes  inhabiting  the  islands. 

130 


FIFTH  FLOOR 

The  fifth  floor  is  occupied  by  the  Administrative  Offices, 
the  Offices  and  Laboratories  of  the  Scientific  Departments 
and  the  Library,  which  contains  more  than  70,000  volumes 
on  natural  history,  anthropology  and  travel. 

There  are  in  the  Library  more  than  15,000  volumes  in 
zoology;  3,500  volumes  in  entomology;  2,000  volumes  in 
conchology;  2,500  volumes  in  anthropology,  including 
many  of  the  older  works  relating  to  the  North  American 
Indian;  3,500  volumes  in  geology,  enriched  by  the  library 
of  the  late  Professor  Jules  Marcou;  a  collection  of  5,000 
volumes  in  palaeontology,  in  the  main  composed  of  the  Os- 
born  Library  of  Vertebrate  Palaeontology,  and  an  unusually 
complete  collection  of  more  than  25,000  volumes  of  natu- 
ral science  periodicals. 

The  Reading  Room  of  the  Library  is  open  free  daily,  with 
the  exception  of  Sundays  and  holidays,  from  9  a.m.  to 
5  p.m.,  to  all  who  may  wish  to  consult  the  books. 

In  addition  to  the  exhibits  which  the  Museum  displays 
it  maintains  a  Department  of  Public  Education  which  co- 
operates with  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  City  in  a  most 
comprehensive  manner,  by  supplying  to  the  schools  lan- 

131 


THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

tern  slides  and  loan  collections  of  nature  study  material  and 
by  giving  lectures  on  Geography,  History  and  Natural  Sci- 
ence at  the  Museum  and  in  the  schools.  Cooperation  with 
the  public  libraries  and  provision  for  the  blind  are  features 
of  the  Museum's  work  which  are  receiving  special  attention 
and  are  of  more  than  passing  interest.  Without  doubt  there 
are  no  children  who  appreciate  a  visit  to  the  Museum  and 
an  opportunity  to  handle  the  specimens  more  than  do  the 
blind  children  from  the  public  schools  and  the  immediate 
vicinity.  This  policy  is  making  the  Museum  a  growing  edu- 
cational force  in  the  community. 


132 


THE  NEW  YORK  AQUARIUM 

The  New  York  Aquarium  is  the  largest  in  the  world,  both 
as  regards  size  of  building  and  number  and  variety  of  speci- 
mens exhibited.  It  is  situated  in  Battery  Park  at  the  foot 
of  Broadway  and  may  be  reached  by  all  elevated,  surface 
and  subway  lines  running  to  South  Ferry.  The  nearest 
elevated  station  is  Battery  Park;  the  nearest  subway  sta- 
tion, Bowling  Green. 

Erected  as  a  fortress  by  the  United  States  Government 
in  1807,  the  outer  walls  of  the  building  are  nine  feet  thick 
and  contain  thirty  gun  embrasures;  the  walls  of  the  old 
ammunition  rooms  are  fifteen  feet  thick.  The  fort  occupied 
a  mole  300  yards  from  the  mainland,  but  the  intervening 
space  was  later  filled  in.  In  1823  it  was  ceded  by  Congress 
to  the  City  of  New  York  and  became  an  amusement  hall 
known  as  Castle  Garden,  and  later  an  opera  house,  where, 
in  1850,  Jenny  Lind  made  her  first  appearance  in  America 
From  1855  to  1891,  the  building  was  used  as  an  immigra- 
tion station,  and  in  1896  it  was  opened  as  an  aquarium  by 
the  Department  of  Public  Parks  of  New  York  City.  In 
1902  its  management  was  transferred  to  the  New  York 
Zoological  Society,  a  private  scientific  association  which  has 

133 


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134 


THE  NEW  YORK  AQUARIUM 

complete  control  of  the  institution  and  is  responsible  For 
its  status  as  a  museum.  The  annual  maintenance  fund  oi 
the  Aquarium  is  provided  by  the  City  of  New  York.  The 
exhibits  are  provided  by  the  New  York  Zoological  Society. 

The  Aquarium  is  open  free  every  day  in  the  year:  9  A.M. 
to  5  p.m.,  from  April  to  October,  and  10  a.m.  to  4  p.m.  from 
November  to  March. 

The  building  is  circular  in  form  with  a  diameter  of  205 
feet.  Seven  large  pools,  containing  turtles,  crocodiles, 
large  fishes  and  marine  mammals,  occupy  the  main  floor, 
and  a  series  of  large,  well-lighted  wall  tanks— thirty  to  fort\ 
around  the  main  floor,  and  fifty  to  sixty  on  the  gallery 
above — present  to  the  visitor  a  comprehensive  view  of 
American  fishes,  including  marine,  fresh-water,  tropical  and 
northern  species. 

The  equipment  includes  facilities  for  heating  sea  water 
in  winter  for  the  tropical  fishes;  for  cooling  fresh  water  in 
summer  for  the  natives  of  mountain  lakes  and  rivers;  for 
pumping  and  filtering  brackish  water  from  New  York  Ba\ 
for  the  large  floor  pools,  and  for  maintaining  a  reservoir  of 
pure  sea  water  for  the  salt-water  wall  tanks.  There  is  also 
an  air  compressor  for  supplying  extra  aeration  to  all  tank> 
when  necessary. 


135 


THE  NEW  YORK  AQUARIUM 


MAIN  FLOOR 


'Oh !  the  gallant  fisher's  life 

It  is  the  best  of  any; 
'Tis  full  of  pleasure,  void  of  strife, 

And  'tis  beloved  by  many." 

Walton. 


The  center  of  the  main  floor  is  occupied  by  a  tank  thirty- 
seven  feet  across  and  seven  feet  deep,  devoted  to  porpoises 
and  dolphins,  closely  allied  warm-blooded  mammals  be- 
longing to  the  whale  family. 

The  six  other  pools  around  this  floor,  proceeding  from 
left  to  right  from  the  main  entrance,  contain : 

1.  Large  marine  turtles.  Of  these  the  green  turtle  of 
the  Atlantic  coast  from  New  York  southward  is  the  most 
important  of  the  sea  turtles  and  the  one  commonly  used 
for  food.  It  attains  a  weight  of  1 ,000  pounds  or  more.  The 
loggerhead  turtle,  of  the  Atlantic  coast  from  New  York  to 
Brazil,  also  attains  great  size  and  weight,  but  is  not  a  food 
species.  These  large  turtles  have  lived  many  years  in  the 
Aquarium. 

2.  Fresh-water  turtles.  In  this  pool  are  the  diamond-back 
terrapin,  the  finest  of  edible  species,  the  Cumberland  tur- 
tle, the  wood  turtle,  Lesueur's  terrapin,  the  chicken  turtle, 
several  large  specimens  of  the  soft-shelled  turtle  and 
others. 

Young  alligators  and  bullfrogs  also  find  a  place  here. 

136 


SPADEFISH 


MUDFISH 
SPIDER    CRAB 


FULGUR    WITH    E( 


137 


THE  NEW  YORK  AQUARIUM 

In  small  tanks  arranged  around  the  edge  of  this  pool  are 
various  crustaceans  and  frogs,  among  them  the  green  crab, 
spider  crab,  horseshoe  crab,  rock  crab,  leopard  frog,  oyster 
and  lobster. 

3.  Large  tropical  fresh-water  fishes.  These  include  the 
giant  grouper,  the  drumfish,  noted  for  feeding  upon  oysters, 
and  the  dog-snapper. 

4.  California  sea  lion.  A  species  of  eared  seals  related 
to  the  fur  seals  but  without  a  commercially  valuable  skin. 
They  are  harmless,  tractable  and  intelligent  animals.  For- 
merly numerous  on  the  North  Pacific  Coast,  they  are  rap- 
idly being  reduced  in  numbers  by  sportsmen  and  fishermen. 

5.  Crocodiles  and  alligators. 

6.  Sea  cow  or  manatee.  Upper  Amazon  River.  A  warm- 
blooded, milk-giving,  plant-eating  mammal. 

The  large  case  to  the  right  of  the  main  entrance  contains 
an  exhibit  of  land  crabs  from  Turk's  Island  in  the  Bahamas. 

The  large  wall  tanks  on  the  main  floor  are  arranged  in 
two  series,  those  occupying  the  western  side  of  the  building 
being  devoted  for  the  most  part  to  fresh-water,  northern 
fishes,  and  those  on  the  eastern  side  to  marine,  tropical  or 
subtropical  forms.  The  exhibits  do  not  remain  constant, 
but  vary  from  time  to  time  according  to  demands  on  space 
and  other  conditions. 

The  tanks  are  all  lighted  from  above  and  provided  with 
illuminated  glass  labels,  stating  the  name,  habitat,  greatest 
weight,  status  as  food,  value  for  sport  and  other  interesting 

138 


THE  NEW  YORK  AQUARIUM 

or  important  facts  about  each  species.  The  labels  also  in- 
form the  observer  which  species  are  suited  to  small  aquaria, 
for  stocking  small  ponds  or  streams  or  for  destroying  mos- 
quito larvae.  The  rock  backgrounds  provided  for  the  tanks 
aid  in  displaying  the  fishes  to  the  best  advantage. 

The  fresh-water  species— for  the  most  part  North  Amer- 
ican or  introduced  and  acclimatized  in  this  country  — include 
the  rudd  or  pearl  roach,  an  introduced  fish  now  common  in 
New  York  State  waters,  and  the  yellow  roach,  its  native 
relative;  the  goldfish,  of  which  several  varieties  are  shown; 
the  short-nosed  gar,  lake  sturgeon,  bony  gar  and  mudfish, 
belonging  to  the  group  of  fishes  known  as  ganoids,  of  which 
very  few  species  survive  to-day,  though,  to  judge  from  fos- 
sils, they  appear  to  have  been  abundant  in  past  ages,  and 
such  well-known  game  fishes  as  the  large-  and  small- 
mouthed  black  bass,  muskallunge,  pike  and  landlocked 
salmon  and  various  species  of  trout.  The  crayfish,  a  fresh- 
water crustacean,  also  occupies  a  tank  in  this  series. 

A  large  tank,  containing  certain  marine  crabs  and  fishe-. 
including  the  horseshoe  king  crab,  common  on  the  Atlantic 
coast  but  having  no  near  relative  except  on  the  northeast 
coast  of  Asia,  the  blue  or  edible  crab,  sturgeon,  flounder, 
spider  crab,  striped  bass,  codfish  and  whitefish,  is  also  found 
on  this  side  of  the  main  hall. 

The  marine  fishes  include  the  following  important  food 
fishes:  sheepshead,  red  grouper,  red  snapper,  Nassau 
grouper  and  jewfish,  one  of  the  largest  of  the  sea  bass, 
reaching   gigantic  size.     The   curious   snake-like   morays, 

139 


CRAPPIE 


STARFISH 


GARS    AND   STURGEON 


140 


THE  NEW  YORK  AQUARIUM 

common  in  the  tropics  and  in  reality  degenerate  eels,  are 
especially  interesting  and  have  lived  many  years  in  the 
Aquarium. 

The  angel-fish,  rainbow-fish,  bluefishes  and  squirrel-fHi 
have  been  brought  from  tropical  regions,  and  their  brilliant 
colors  are  characteristic  of  species  found  in  such  environ- 
ments. 

A  large  tank,  inhabited  by  the  hawksbill  turtle,  a  large 
marine  turtle  which  provides  the  valuable  tortoise-shell  of 
commerce,  also  occupies  a  position  on  this  side  of  the  hall. 

A  lens  cabinet,  for  viewing  very  small  aquatic  animals 
through  a  magnifying  glass,  is  placed  near  the  northeast 
wall;  here  are  mosquito  larvae,  tiny  crustaceans,  hydroids 
and  jelly-fishes. 


GALLERY 

In  the  gallery  a  similar  arrangement  groups  the  fresh- 
water forms  on  the  west  and  the  marine  tropical  fishes  on 
the  east  side  of  the  building.  Many  of  the  tanks  contain 
young  fry  of  the  species  represented  on  the  floor  below. 
particularly  trout,  salmon  and  other  food  fishes. 

Fine  specimens  of  three  interesting  salamanders,  the 
hellbender  or  water  dog  of  the  Ohio  Valley,  the  giant  sala- 
mander of  Japan,  China  and  Tibet  and  the  mud  puppy  of 
the  Great  Lakes  and  the  Mississippi  Valley,  are  included  in 
the  fresh-water  series. 

141 


THE  NEW  YORK  AQUARIUM 

The  hellbender,  the  largest  American  salamander,  has 
well  developed  lungs  and,  although  a  water  dweller,  comes 
to  the  surface  to  breathe,  swallowing  air  through  the  mouth 
and  passing  it  back  into  the  lungs.  It  has,  however,  a  gill 
opening  on  each  side  of  the  throat. 

The  giant  salamander  differs  from  its  American  relative, 
the  hellbender,  in  having  no  gill  openings.  It  lives  in  small 
streams  of  mountain  meadows  and  is  used  as  food  by  the 
Japanese. 

The  mud  puppy  breathes  with  gills  like  a  fish  and  rarely 
rises  to  the  surface.  It  has  short  but  well  developed  limbs 
and  is  a  nocturnal  animal,  hiding  in  rock  crevices  or  weed 
masses  in  the  daytime  and  swimming  or  creeping  about  at 
night  to  feed  on  Crustacea,  fishes,  worms  and  frogs. 

Other  fresh-water  fishes  on  this  floor  are  the  small  lad- 
der fish,  a  rare  little  fish  from  the  interior  rivers  of  South 
America,  common  catfish,  chub,  sucker,  red  horse,  Missis- 
sippi catfish  and  spotted  catfish,  sunfish,  fresh-water  killie, 
white  perch  and  the  burbot,  a  fresh-water  representative  of 
the  cod  family. 

A  tank  of  very  interesting  little  sea  horses,  the  only  fish 
with  a  prehensile  tail,  is  also  exhibited  on  this  floor.  The 
sea  horses  are  difficult  to  keep  in  captivity  because  they 
feed  only  on  the  minute  crustaceans  infesting  the  eel  grass 
in  which  they  live.  The  male  of  this  species  hatches  the 
eggs  and  cares  for  the  young  in  an  abdominal  pouch.  En- 
closed in  a  skeleton  of  horny  segments  that  permits  little 
lateral  flexion,  and  having  only  one  dorsal  fin,  the  sea  horse 

142 


SEA   HORSES 


PORK    FISH 

143 


MUD    PUPPY 


THE  NEW  YORK  AQUARIUM 

is  a  poor  swimmer  and  cannot  resist  currents,  remaining 
for  the  most  part  stationary,  attached  by  its  tail  to  grasses 
or  seaweeds.  Its  comparatively  large  air  bladder  is  an  im- 
portant factor  in  its  equilibrium.  If  this  is  pricked  to  let 
out  a  bubble  of  gas  the  size  of  a  small  pinhead,  the  fish  falls 
to  the  bottom,  where  it  must  remain  until  the  wound  is 
healed  and  a  new  supply  of  gas  secreted  to  enable  it  to 
rise.  There  are  about  thirty-six  species,  mostly  tropical,  but 
one  extends  north  to  Cape  Cod,  and  this  queer  little  fish 
was  exceedingly  abundant  in  local  waters  last  summer 
(1916). 

Part  of  the  wall  space  in  the  gallery  is  utilized  for  ex- 
hibiting color  prints  prepared  by  the  United  States  Fish 
Commission,  representing  American  food  and  game  fishes 
and  fishes  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands  and  the  West  Indies. 

The  small  tanks  in  the  center  of  the  gallery  contain  the 
Mexican  swordtail,  the  Indian  gourami  and  other  fishes.  It 
is  interesting  to  see  the  gouramis  utilize  their  filamentous 
fins  as  organs  of  touch. 

During  the  appropriate  seasons  there  is  maintained  at 
the  Aquarium,  as  a  fish-cultural  exhibit,  a  hatchery  in  which 
millions  of  young  food  and  game  fishes  are  produced  for 
the  enrichment  of  the  fishing  waters  of  New  York  State, 
the  fish  eggs  for  this  purpose  being  supplied  by  the  United 
States  Bureau  of  Fisheries. 


144 


LEGEND 


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in  operation 
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146 


THE  NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 

The  New  York  Zoological  Park  was  conceived  and 
planned  by  the  New  York  Zoological  Society,  a  scientific 
body  incorporated  in  1895,  under  a  special  charter  granted 
by  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  has  as  its 
avowed  objects  the  making  of  a  public  zoological  park,  the 
protection  of  American  native  animals  and  the  promotion 
of  zoology. 

Control  of  the  Park  grounds  was  granted  to  this  Society 
by  the  City  of  New  York  in  1898  and  work  on  the  perma- 
nent buildings  was  at  once  begun.  The  comparative  new- 
ness of  the  Park  has  enabled  its  founders  to  profit  bv  the 
world's  experience  in  the  planning  of  quarters  for  captive 
animals,  and  many  original  features  have  been  devised 
either  to  meet  special  conditions  or  to  improve  upon  ex- 
isting methods.  The  Park  occupies  264  acres  of  land  and 
water,  whose  varied  contour  comprises  rocky  ridges,  shel- 
tered valleys,  lakes,  deep  forest  and  open  glades,  making  it 
possible  to  provide  for  the  animals  a  suitable  habitat  and 
affording  space  to  an  extent  unrivaled  by  any  other  institu- 
tion of  its  kind. 

The  planning  and  general  development  of  the  Park  are 

147 


THE  NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 

in  the  hands  of  the  Zoological  Society,  which  has  also  fur- 
nished all  the  live  animals  and  erected  the  Reptile  House, 
Aquatic  Bird  House,  Bear  Dens,  Flying  Cage  and  other 
structures. 

The  City  of  New  York  has  erected  the  majority  of  the 
buildings,  provided  funds  for  the  construction  of  walks, 
roads,  sewers,  drainage,  water  supply  and  other  improve- 
ments, and  also  has  furnished  an  annual  maintenance  fund 
for  general  upkeep. 

The  Society's  funds  are  obtained  by  private  subscription 
and  from  the  dues  and  fees  of  its  members;  and,  by  ar- 
rangement with  the  City  of  New  York,  the  Restaurant  and 
other  revenue-producing  institutions  within  the  Park  are 
controlled  by  the  Zoological  Society  and  the  profits  ex- 
pended for  the  increase  of  the  animal  collections. 

Membership  in  the  Zoological  Society  is  open  to  all  inter- 
ested in  the  objects  of  the  organization,  at  a  cost  of  $10 
per  year  for  annual  membership,  which  entitles  the  holder 
to  admission  to  the  Park  on  pay  days,  to  receive  the  annual 
reports,  bi-monthly  bulletin  and  the  scientific  publication 
"Zoologica,"  to  enter  the  Administration  Building,  to  attend 
all  lectures  and  special  exhibits  and  to  receive  complimen- 
tary tickets  for  distribution.  Any  Annual  Member  may 
become  a  Life  Member  on  payment  of  $200.  A  sub- 
scriber of  $1,000  becomes  a  Patron,  of  $2,500  an  Associate 
Founder,  of  $5,000  a  Founder,  of  $10,000  a  Founder  in  Per- 
petuity, and  of  $25,000  a  Benefactor. 

The  Zoological  Park  is  located  between  East  180th  and 

148 


THE  NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 

190th  Streets,  and  may  be  reached  by  the  subway  to  180th 
Street  (care  must  be  taken  to  select  a  Bronx  Park  or  We 
Farms  train,  which  brings  visitors  to  the  southeast  or  Bo 
ton  Road  entrance  of  the  Park)  ;  by  the  Third  Avenue 
Elevated  Railway  to  Fordham  station,  which  is  half  a  mile 
from  the  northwest  entrance,  or  by  the  Southern  Boulevard 
or  Zoological  Park  surface  cars.  Carriages  and  automo- 
biles are  not  permitted  to  enter  the  portion  of  the  Park 
occupied  by  the  animals.  They  may  enter  the  Park  at  the 
Concourse  on  Pelham  Avenue,  whence  they  may  proceed 
to  the  northern  end  of  Baird  Court,  where  is  situated  the 
most  important  group  of  buildings. 

The  Park  is  open  free  every  day  of  the  week  except 
Mondays  and  Thursdays.  On  these  days,  except  when 
they  fall  upon  holidays,  an  admission  fee  of  twenty-five 
cents  is  charged  for  each  adult  and  fifteen  cents  for  each 
child,  except  to  members  of  the  Society  or  to  those  holding 
tickets  therefrom. 

From  May  1  to  October  31  the  gates  are  opened  at  9  a.m. 
daily,  and  closed  half  an  hour  before  sunset.  From  Novem- 
ber 1  to  April  30  the  gates  are  opened  at  10  a.m. 

The  Boston  Road,  running  through  the  Park  from  north 
to  south,  divides  it  into  two  portions.  That  on  the  west 
contains  the  animal  collections;  that  on  the  east  contains 
Bronx  Lake,  twenty-five  acres  in  extent,  which  may  be 
utilized  by  visitors  for  boating.  Boats  may  be  obtained  at 
the  Boathouse  at  the  southeast  end. 

The  size  of  the  Park,  the  existence  of  six  entrances  and 

149 


Administration  Bldg..H.  D  4 
Alaskan  House,  32        H  3 
Alligator  Pool.  36         H  4 
Antelope  House.  50.     J  3 
Bear  Dens,  37.    ..        H  5 
—    Pond.  29..        C5 
Biological  Laboratory. 

2SA   .      .  G4 

Bird  House.  Agnatic, 5.  D  2 
Bird  House.  Large.  7  .  D  3 
Bison.  51 ,      .......      J  5 

Boat  House.  54. .  M  6 

Buffalo  Herd.  52  . ..  J  6 
Burrowing  Animals, 42, 1  3 
Cage.  Flying.  4     .  C3 

Camel  House.  39  .  12 
Deer.  Asiatic.  I  .  ,C-D  2 
Deer,  American,  30.  H  2 
Deer,  Axis  and  Sika,  2,  C  2 
Deer.  Fallow.  53  K4 

Deer,  Red.  10  .  .  .D2 
Deer  House.  Small.  49,  J  2 
Duck  Aviary,  3  C3 

Je  and  Vulture 
Aviary,    II              ...E2 
Elephant  House.  20.      F3 
Elk  Range.  21    G2 


Feed  Barn.  27 
Flying  Cage,  4 
Fountains.  Drinking. 

D  2,  H  2.  M  7 
Fountain.  Rockefeller. 
13  D4 

Fox  Dens.  23      C  2 

Lion  House.  15  ..63 

Llama  House.  33  12 

Lydig  Arch.  47  15 

Mammal  House,  Small. 

35     .  .      H  3    Restaurant 

Mountain  Sheep   Hill,  Riding  Am 

44  ,|4     Rocking  Stone.  45 

Musk  Oxen.  48.  .12    Sea  Lion  Pool.  12 

Nursery.    18  .     .       E9    Servrce  Building,  28 

Ostrich   House.  43  13    Soda   Fountains 

Otter  Pools.  31    H2  *D  *  G3   H4 

Pavilion.  Shelier.  26     G3    Subway  Station'  O6 

Pheasant  Aviary.  40.     .12    Toilets.  'A'    M     CI 
Polar  Bear  Den.  37      H5  E  3.  C  3.  1  5,  L  6.  M  8 

Prairie  Dogs.  41  13    Tortoise  Yards  -  H4 

Primate  House.  17        E4    Totem  Pole   32  H  1 

Puma  and  Lynx  House.  Turkeys.  Wild.  33  H  3 

-W  A  .     .       . ...  H  3    WoK   Den--    22 

Raccoons  Tree.  44  A    .15    Yak  House    55 
Reptile  House,  34  M4    Zebra  Houses    14 


150 


THE  NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 

the  fact  that  the  physical  features  of  the  Park  have  deter- 
mined the  location  of  the  various  animals  make  it  impos- 
sible to  plan  a  tour  for  the  visitor  which  will  embrace  every- 
thing without  retraversing  some  of  the  paths.  The  visitor 
with  limited  time  at  his  disposal,  or  who  wishes  to  see  only 
particular  specimens,  should  consult  the  map  and  key  on 
page  150,  by  means  of  which  the  various  installations  may 
be  readily  located. 

Of  large  and  elaborately  equipped  buildings  of  brick  and 
stone  there  are  the  following: 

Elephant  House  Reptile  House 

Lion  House  Small  Mammal  House 

Primate  House  Ostrich  House 

Large  Bird  House  Antelope  House 

Aquatic  Bird  House  Small  Deer  House 

Pheasant  Aviary  Zebra  House 

All  these  buildings  are  provided  with  open-air  yards  in 
which  the  inhabitants  can  exercise  and  be  observed. 

Of  less  important  animal  buildings  there  are  the  fol- 
lowing: 

Asiatic  Deer  House  Llama  House 

North  American  Deer  House  White  Goat  Barn 

Axis  Deer  House  Buffalo  Barn 

Elk  House  Wild  Horse  House 

Musk-ox  House  Yak  House 

Camel  House  Eagle  Aviary 

151 


THE  NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 

All  the  hoofed  animal  houses  are  connected  with  exten- 
sive outdoor  ranges  where  the  herds  may  be  observed  at 

large. 

Of  open-air  installations  for  wild  animals  and  birds  there 

are  the  following: 

Bear  Dens  Burrowing  Rodents' 

Flying  Bird  Cage  Quarters 

Wolf  and  Fox  Dens  Prairie  Dog  Village 

Mountain  Sheep  Hill  Puma  and  Lynx  House 

Sea  Lion  Pool  Raccoon  Tree 

Penguin  Pool  Pigeon  House 

Wild  Fowl  Pond  Goose  Aviary 

Otter  House  Wild  Turkey  Enclosure 

Beaver  Pond  Turtle  Pond 

Crane  Paddock 

At  the  Rocking  Stone  Restaurant,  dining  and  lunch  rooms 
are  provided.  Wheel  chairs  may  be  obtained  at  entrance  or 
from  Chief  Clerk  in  the  Central  Service  Building. 

From  the  Boston  Road  entrance,  the  path  to  the  right 
passes  first  the  Yak  Range,  where  a  herd  of  this  wild  ox 
of  Tibet  affords  an  interesting  comparison  with  the  Ameri- 
can bison,  or  buffalo,  occupying  an  extensive  range  and 
corral  just  beyond.  From  the  roof  of  the  Buffalo  House 
a  fine  outlook  is  obtained  over  the  ranges.  Of  the  count- 
less thousands  of  wild  bison  once  occupying  undisturbed 
the  whole  pasture  region  of  the  western  United  States, 
there   remain   only   about  twenty  individuals  now  in   the 

152 


THE  NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 

Yellowstone  Park,  somewhat  more  than  300  in  the  barren 
territory  southwest  of  Great  Slave  Lake,  Canada,  and  a 
few  small  captive  herds  elsewhere  numbering  about  2.0(H) 
individuals.  The  western  herds  were  largely  reestablished 
from  stock  furnished  from  the  New  York  Zoological  Park. 

The  path  to  the  left,  skirting  the  Buffalo  Range,  brings 
the  visitor  to  Mountain  Sheep  Hill  (44  on  map),  where  a 
steep  rocky  ridge  affords  a  fine  natural  habitat  for  the  wild 
sheep  and  goats.  The  Himalayan  tahr,  the  wild  goat  of 
northern  India,  has  bred  very  successfully  in  the  Park; 
the  original  pair  have  a  large  and  active  family  and  even 
climb  the  trees  in  their  enclosure.  The  aoudad,  or  Barbary 
wild  sheep,  the  Spanish  and  Persian  ibexes,  the  mouflon  of 
Sardinia  and  the  burrhel  of  India  are  found  here,  but  the 
Rocky  Mountain  goat  and  the  bighorn  or  Rocky  Mountain 
sheep  do  not  thrive  in  these  enclosures  and  will  be  found 
elsewhere. 

At  the  northern  end  of  Mountain  Sheep  Hill,  the  visitor 
faces  the  Bear  Dens,  where,  in  large  open  yards,  with 
sleeping  dens  in  the  rocks  behind,  the  various  species  of 
bear  are  comfortably  accommodated.  Up  the  steps  to  the 
left  is  the  Rocking  Stone  Restaurant  (46  on  map),  and  the 
Raccoon  Tree,  where  a  number  of  lively  raccoons  are 
acclimatized,  is  in  sight  south  of  the  Bear  Dens. 

A  small  pond  for  native  wild  turtles  lies  between  Moun- 
tain Sheep  Hill  and  the  Restaurant,  where  several  species 
may  usually  be  seen  basking  on  the  half-submerged  log  at 
one  end. 

153 


THE  NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 

The  Park's  bear  collection  is  a  large  one,  including,  in 
the  main  cages,  the  American  black  bear,  the  grizzly  bear, 
the  Syrian  bear,  the  hairy-eared  bear,  the  great  Yezzo  bear 
of  Japan,  several  species  of  Alaskan  brown  bear  and  the 
Kadiak  bear.  Two  fine  polar  bears  are  in  a  large  den 
down  the  steps  north  of  the  main  bear  dens,  and  still  other 
species  are  found  facing  the  main  dens  on  the  northwest. 
The  northern  compartments  of  these  smaller  bear  dens 
accommodate  also  the  laughing  hyena  and  the  South  Afri- 
can hyena  dog.  The  path  beside  these  latter  dens  affords 
a  fine  view  of  the  Beaver  Pond  and  Dam  and  brings  the 
visitor  to  the  back  of  the  Reptile  House. 

The  open-air  Tortoise  Yards  flanking  the  east  wall  of 
this  building  may  be  examined  first;  here,  in  summer,  the 
tortoise  and  large  tropical  lizards  may  be  seen  taking  air 
and  exercise.  These  yards  are  connected  with  indoor  quar- 
ters for  use  when  the  weather  is  cool.  The  giant  tortoises 
are  especially  interesting,  growing  to  enormous  size  and 
living  to  a  great  age.  The  largest  specimen,  from  the  Gala- 
pagos Islands,  weighs  225  pounds.  These  creatures  are 
now  to  be  found  only  on  isolated  groups  of  islands  in  the 
Pacific  and  Indian  Oceans,  but  from  fossil  remains  found 
elsewhere  they  appear  once  to  have  inhabited  all  the  conti- 
nents. Among  large  lizards,  the  Australian  monitor,  the 
powerful  tegu  of  South  America  and  the  iguanas  should  be 
mentioned.  The  lizards  here  and  in  the  Reptile  House 
form  a  comprehensive  collection. 

The  Reptile  House,  the  first  large  building  to  be  erected 

154 


i  i  i  i-n  IN  r  H< 


ELK    HERD 


ROCKING    STONE 

155 


THE  NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 

in  the  Park,  contains  a  series  of  examples,  carefully  se- 
lected, to  afford  a  general  view  of  the  four  important 
groups  of  living  reptiles— turtles,  crocodiles,  lizards  and 
snakes— and  of  the  still  more  interesting  amphibians- 
frogs,  toads,  newts  and  salamanders.  Even  in  this  large 
building  it  is  impossible  to  show  anything  approaching  a 
complete  collection  of  the  reptiles  of  the  world,  and  the 
arrangement  of  exhibits  varies  from  time  to  time  according 
to  conditions  and  demands  on  space. 

To  the  right  of  the  south  or  entrance  hall  there  is  shown, 
for  purposes  of  local  interest  and  instruction,  a  collection 
of  the  harmless  and  poisonous  snakes  of  New  York  State. 
The  window  cases  at  the  left  of  this  hall  house  a  series  of 
American  batrachians,  including  various  frogs  and  toads, 
among  them  the  huge  bullfrog;  the  curious  glass  snake 
(really  a  lizard  but  having  no  external  legs),  the  hell- 
bender, salamander  and  others. 

At  the  western  end  of  the  great  central  hall  of  the  Rep- 
tile House  is  the  Crocodile  Pool  with  its  sloping  banks,  for 
which  the  conservatory  of  tropical  vegetation  behind  affords 
a  natural  setting  and  a  homelike  outlook  for  the  inmates.  A 
number  of  American  alligators,  from  two  or  three  to  twelve 
feet  long,  inhabit  the  pool  the  year  round. 

One  division  of  the  Crocodile  Pool  is  occupied  by  the 
gavial,  a  rare  crocodile  from  the  Ganges  River. 

Young  alligators  are  kept  in  four  groups,  according  to 
size,  in  various  parts  of  the  Reptile  House. 

The  central  space  of  the  main  hall  is  devoted  to  the  tur- 

156 


THE  NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 

ties.  A  large  tank  at  the  eastern  end  accommodates  the 
larger  specimens  and  is  also  a  nursery  for  many  young 
crocodiles  and  alligators.  A  stream  of  water  thirty-five  feet 
long,  with  banks  of  earth  and  living  plants,  is  divided  into 
sections  for  the  smaller  species  of  turtles,  of  which  thirty  or 
more  types  are  exhibited.  The  strange  aquatic,  soft-shelled 
turtle  is  in  a  case  at  the  right  of  the  entrance. 

The  batrachians  or  amphibians  (frogs,  toads,  newts  and 
salamanders),  Nature's  half-way  house  between  land  and 
water  animals,  are  shown  in  a  series  of  cases  flanking  the 
western  and  eastern  ends  of  the  Turtle  Pool.  A  few  may 
be  found  on  the  south  side  of  the  building.  This  collection 
is  one  of  the  best  in  existence,  containing  nearly  one  hun- 
dred different  species  from  all  over  the  world,  some  of 
them  very  rare.  Certain  of  these  exhibit  very  interesting 
adaptations,  as  the  axolotl,  a  Mexican  salamander  which 
lives  in  water  as  long  as  the  water  lasts  but  if  this  dries 
up  begins  to  breathe  with  its  lungs  and  to  walk  about  on 
the  land.  The  rare  tree  toads  of  Australia  and  African 
swimming  frogs  are  found  here. 

Serpents  or  snakes  (with  some  lizards)  are  ranged 
around  the  northern  and  eastern  sides  of  this  hall.  01 
these,  the  huge  tropical  boas  and  pythons  of  India  and 
Africa  and  the  anaconda  and  boa  constrictor  of  South 
America  are  among  the  most  showy  of  a  large  and  inter- 
esting series.  The  largest  specimen  is  the  regal  python 
of  Africa,  twenty-two  feet  long  and  weighing  170  pounds. 
Other  specimens  are  the  Indian  python,  the  garter  snake. 

157 


THE  NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 

blue-tailed  lizard,  horned  toad  (a  desert  lizard),  tree  boa, 
pilot  snake,  carpet  snake  and  others.  The  exhibit  of  ven- 
omous snakes  is  especially  comprehensive  and  contains 
among  others  the  diamond-backed  rattlesnake  of  Texas,  the 
cobra-de-capello  of  India,  responsible  for  the  loss  of  about 
18,000  lives  annually,  and  the  deadly  fer-de-lance  and  bush- 
master  of  South  America. 

Bordering  on  the  north  side  of  the  Turtle  Pond  is  a 
fine  collection  of  snakes  of  the  southern  United  States,  and 
a  case  on  the  southeast  side  of  the  hall  exhibits  skulls  and 
fangs  of  harmless  and  poisonous  snakes,  indicating  the 
difference  between  them.  Many  interesting  snakes  and 
batrachians  find  a  place  also  on  this  wall.  The  southwest 
wall  is  devoted  to  the  Economic  Rodent-Reptile  Collection, 
showing  the  rodents  most  destructive  to  agricultural  inter- 
ests and  the  snakes  which  prey  upon  them.  This  extensive 
and  valuable  series  contains  about  fifty  species  of  rodents, 
some  of  them  rare  and  interesting,  such  as  the  Egyptian 
desert  mouse,  the  Indian  jerboa,  the  Egyptian  jerboa  (a 
kangaroo-like  rat),  porcupine  mouse,  European  marmot 
and  the  flying  squirrel;  and,  inasmuch  as  some  of  those 
exhibited  are  nocturnal  in  habit,  it  is  an  achievement  to 
have  induced  them  to  show  themselves  in  daylight. 

The  Reptile  House  formerly  contained  a  considerable 
collection  of  insects.  It  has  been  found  impracticable  to 
keep  this  up  for  lack  of  space,  but  various  interesting 
tarantulas,  centipedes  and  other  types  are  still  to  be  found 
here,  among  them  the  curious  bird-killing  spider. 

158 


THE  NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 

A  small  elevation  southeast  of  the  Reptile  House  is  the 
location  of  the  so-called  Alligator  Pool,  now  given  over  to 
sea  lions  and  penguins.  The  active  and  noisy  California 
sea  lions  are  always  showing  off  here  (as  well  as  in  their 
larger  pool  in  Baird  Court).  They  belong  to  the  same 
family  as  the  fur  seals,  but  are  of  a  different  species. 

The  penguins  exhibited  are  the  small  blackfooted  pen- 
guins from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

Just  southeast  of  the  Reptile  House  is  the  Small  Mammal 
House,  on  the  way  to  which  the  Wild  Turkey  Enclosure  is 
observed  on  the  right,  where  the  king  of  American  game 
birds  occupies  a  quarter  of  an  acre  of  wood  and  under- 
growth. 

The  open-air  Puma  and  Lynx  House  immediately  adjoins 
the  Turkey  Enclosure,  and  here  the  American  puma  or 
mountain  lion  paces  restlessly  to  and  fro.  This  animal, 
like  the  lynx,  does  not  thrive  in  heated  buildings.  It  is 
found  in  Florida,  Texas  and  most  of  the  western  states. 
as  well  as  in  Central  and  South  America,  but  it  is  by  no 
means  as  dangerous  to  man  as  rumor  relates. 

Next  door  to  the  puma  are  two  fine  adult  specimens  ol 
the  Canadian  lynx. 

The  Small  Mammal  House,  although  not  the  most  show) 
is  from  an  educational  standpoint  one  of  the  most  interest- 
ing installations  in  the  Park,  containing  species  represent- 
ing many  different  orders  of  mammals.  The  carnivorous 
mammals  are  extensively  represented  by  members  of  the 
cat  and   dog   families,   including  the   rare   and   beautiful 

159 


'white-throated  sapajou  monkeys 
chimpanzees 
orang-utan 

160 


BARBARY    LION    CUBS 


THE  NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 

ocelot,  the  African  serval,  the  civet-cat,  jackals,  raccoons 
and  various  wild  dogs  and  foxes.  Interesting  rodents  are 
the  South  American  capybara,  largest  of  all  living  rodents, 
and  the  brilliant  Malabar  squirrel.  Among  the  mammals 
are  the  Australian  wombat  and  the  opossum;  and  the  eden- 
tates, or  toothless  mammals,  make  a  good  showing  with  the 
giant  anteater,  the  curious  banded  armadillos  and  the 
sloths;  perhaps  the  most  interesting  creature,  the  Echidna, 
or  spiny  anteater,  belongs  to  the  remarkable  order  of  egg- 
laying  mammals.  This  house  contains  about  200  cages,  of 
varied  type  and  size  according  to  the  occupant,  but  all  with 
open-air  yards  attached. 

Porcupines,  badgers,  the  South  American  agouti  and 
coati-mundi,  tropical  squirrels  and  rodents,  and  the  young 
of  many  species  such  as  bears  and  leopards,  which  require 
small  quarters  and  special  care,  are  to  be  found  in  this 
building,  a  good  time  to  visit  which  is  1  p.m.,  when  its 
inhabitants  are  fed.  Each  label  bears  a  color  band,  a  dif- 
ferent color  for  each  order  of  mammals,  and  a  large  key- 
label  at  each  end  of  the  hall  makes  classification  into  orders 
easy. 

Connected  by  a  central  pavilion  with  the  Small  Mammal 
House  is  the  Ostrich  House,  devoted  for  the  most  part  to 
the  large  running  birds,  such  as  the  ostriches,  rheas,  emus 
and  cassowaries.  The  emus,  however,  now  occupy  a  range 
and  house  adjoining  the  yaks,  near  which  in  the  summer 
time  the  North  African  ostrich  and  certain  of  the  cranes 
have  ranges  and  quarters. 

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THE  NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 

The  South  African  ostrich,  the  great-billed  rhea  of 
Brazil,  the  Javan  peacock,  the  African  bustard,  the  curas- 
sows,  cranes,  the  curious  cassowaries,  the  well  known 
snake-killing  secretary  bird,  and  other  interesting  species 
occupy  the  Ostrich  House  and  its  adjoining  yards. 

Flanking  the  west  side  of  the  Ostrich  House  are  the 
quarters  of  the  Burrowing  Mammals  (42  on  map).  This 
large  and  important  group  of  animals  comprises  the  squir- 
rel, rabbit,  rat,  mouse,  opossum  and  gopher  families,  the 
curious  sewellel  family  and  others ;  some  of  these  are  kept 
in  the  Small  Mammal  House.  In  summer  certain  families 
not  properly  belonging  here,  such  as  the  raccoon  dogs,  swift 
foxes  and  others,  occupy  some  of  the  yards.  In  winter  all 
the  burrowing  mammals  are  transferred  to  the  Small  Mam- 
mal House. 

Leaving  these  quarters,  the  path  proceeds  south  to  the 
Antelope  House  (50  on  map),  where  a  finely  equipped  cen- 
tral building,  heated  in  winter  and  provided  all  around  with 
open-air  corrals,  accommodates  the  giraffes,  a  large  and 
remarkable  series  of  African  antelopes  and  several  Indian 

species. 

Among  these,  the  three-horned  Nubian  giraffes,  the 
curious  African  gnus,  the  rare  Beatrix  antelope  from 
Arabia  and  the  Indian  nilgai  are  especially  interesting.  The 
dromedary,  or  single-humped  camel,  also  finds  a  home  in 
this  building. 

West  of  the  Antelope  House,  a  short  path  connects  di- 
rectly with  the  Small  Deer  House  (49  on  map),  where  an- 

162 


THE  NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 

other  carefully  designed  building  with  outdoor  corrals  takes 
care  of  the  more  delicate  species  of  deer  unfitted  for  open 
ranges,  the  smaller  African  antelopes,  the  various  tropical 
swine,  the  kangaroos  and  in  winter  the  tropical  mountain 
sheep  and  goats. 

Many  interesting  species  from  India  are  here  repre- 
sented, including  the  muntjac  deer,  the  sasin  antelope,  the 
four-horned  antelope  and  the  dainty  Indian  gazelle.  From 
Mexico  and  South  America,  the  black-faced  brocket  and 
the  Sinaloa  white-tailed  deer  are  of  particular  interest  be- 
cause of  their  unusually  simple  horns. 

Near  the  northern  entrance  to  the  Small  Deer  House  is 
the  Prairie  Dog  Village  (41  on  map),  where  about  one 
hundred  fat  little  prairie  marmots  from  Montana  dodge  in 
and  out  of  their  burrows,  indulge  in  joyful  squeals  and 
prove  generally  entertaining. 

Leaving  these  on  the  right  and  proceeding  westward,  the 
next  enclosure  is  that  of  the  white-fronted  musk-ox  (48  on 
map).  This  strange-looking  animal  from  the  arctic  regions 
belongs  to  neither  the  cattle  nor  the  sheep  family  but 
stands  in  a  genus  of  its  own  midway  between.  The  Park 
has  a  herd  of  six  specimens. 

A  barn  and  corral,  adjoining  the  musk-ox,  houses  the 
Rocky  Mountain  goat.  This  animal,  accustomed  to  great 
heights  and  a  rarefied  atmosphere,  is  difficult  to  keep  in 
captivity,  but  has  been  successfully  established  here  on  a 
breeding  basis.  Enclosures  to  the  west  and  south  contain 
groups  of  Virginia  deer. 

163 


THE  NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 

At  the  right  of  the  path  by  the  Musk-ox  Enclosure,  the 
visitor  will  observe  a  large  pond  extending  northward.  This 
is  the  Wild  Fowl  Pond,  where  the  ducks  and  geese  breed 
in  the  grass  and  underbrush  on  the  east  bank  and  bring 
their  broods  to  the  water  when  hatched.  Here,  besides  the 
mallard,  pintail,  gadwall,  rosy-billed  duck,  black  duck, 
lesser  scaup  duck  and  other  ducks  of  America,  may  be  seen 
the  paradise  sheldrake  of  Australia,  the  ruddy  sheldrake  of 
the  Mediterranean,  the  Chinese  mandarin  duck  and  others. 
The  geese  include  the  snow  goose,  Cereopsis  goose  and 
barnacle  goose. 

An  old  fable,  still  believed  by  many  European  peasants, 
especially  in  Ireland,  is  that  the  barnacle  or  bernicle  goose 
is  born  from  the  stalked  barnacles  that  adhere  to  driftwood 
on  the  sea  coast,  and  circumstantial  accounts  have  been 
given  of  the  young  developing  in  and  escaping  from  the 
barnacle  shells.  The  name  "bernicle,"  like  brant,  refers 
to  the  burnt  or  black  color  of  the  birds,  but  the  barnacles 
were  really  named  after  the  bird,  not  the  bird  after  the 
crustacean. 

The  Pheasant  Aviary  (40  on  map)  faces  the  Wild  Fowl 
Pond  at  its  southern  end.  In  this  building  and  its  runways 
is  housed  one  of  the  finest  collections  of  true  pheasants  in 

the  world. 

Each  species  has  for  use  at  all  times  an  open  yard,  a 
storm  shelter  and  a  closed  room  with  a  large  window,  and 
owing  to  the  shy  and  retiring  habits  of  some  of  the  birds 
it  may  be  necessary  to  visit  the  aviary  more  than  once  in 

164 


THE  NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 

order  to  see  them  all.  Some  of  the  most  beautiful  birds 
in  the  collection  are  the  golden  and  silver  pheasants  ol 
China,  now  acclimatized  successfully  in  British  Columbia 
and  in  Oregon,  the  Amherst  pheasant,  the  beautiful  Soem- 
mering or  copper  pheasant  of  Japan,  the  Impeyan  pheas- 
ant of  India  and  the  exceedingly  rare  Mongolian  pheasant 
of  Turkestan.  Above  each  of  the  pheasant  enclosures  a 
roomy  dovecote  provides  for  a  collection  of  pigeons,  with- 
out interfering  with  the  pheasant  runs  below. 

The  steps  at  the  left  of  this  aviary  lead  to  the  Camel 
House  (39  on  map),  where  the  two-humped  or  Bactrian 
camel  may  be  ridden  by  visitors  in  the  winter  time.  In 
summer  he  sheds  his  coat  and  is  not  in  his  best  form. 

The  Llama  House  adjoins  the  Camel  House  on  the  north 
and  exhibits  the  llama,  alpaca,  guanaco  and  vicuna  of  South 
America,  animals  related  to  the  camel  family,  but  smaller 
and  without  a  hump,  and  valued  largely  for  their  wool. 

Behind  the  Llama  House,  in  an  extensive  range  contain- 
ing a  small  lake,  is  a  beautiful  herd  of  the  white-tailed 
Virginia  deer. 

To  the  right  of  the  Llama  House  one  may  overlook  the 
Wild  Fowl  Pond  and  descend  to  investigate  the  cages  of 
the  otter  and  of  the  odd  coypu  rat  of  Central  and  South 
America,  which  abut  on  the  Pond  near  the  center  of  its 
western  bank.  The  totem  pole  and  house  of  the  Tlingit 
Indians  of  Cape  Fox,  Alaska,  presented  to  the  Park  by  the 
late  Mr.  E.  H.  Harriman,  are  also  in  sight  from  this  point. 

The   Indian  hangul  deer  and   Florida  white-tailed   deer 

165 


THE  NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 

adjoin  the  llamas  on  the  north,  followed  by  the  Elk  House 
and  corrals,  in  a  range  behind  which  (21  on  map)  appears 
a  fine  herd  of  American  elk,  or  wapiti,  except  the  moose 
the  largest  member  of  the  deer  family  and  of  all  American 
deer  the  most  easily  reared  in  captivity. 

To  the  right  of  the  Elk  Range,  down  a  short  hill,  are  the 
Dens  of  the  Wolves  and  Foxes,  occupying  the  slope  of  a 
natural  ridge  or  rock.  Here  are  the  gray  wolf,  the  coyote, 
the  rare  Tasmanian  wolf,  the  red  fox,  and  the  dingo  or 
wild  dog,  but  several  of  the  foxes  have  been  found  to  thrive 
better  in  the  Burrowing  Animals'  Quarters. 

Directly  north  from  the  Wolf  Dens  is  the  Elephant 
House,  the  largest  animal  building  in  the  Park.  This  im- 
posing structure,  with  a  dome  in  the  center  and  ornamented 
with  animal  sculptures  by  the  well-known  sculptors  A. 
Phimister  Proctor  and  Charles  R.  Knight,  is  170  feet  long 
and  84  feet  wide,  and  is  divided  lengthwise  into  eight  huge 
compartments,  four  for  elephants,  two  for  rhinoceroses  and 
two  for  hippopotami.  At  each  end  of  the  building  are 
smaller  cages  for  tapirs  and  young  elephants.  Each  in- 
terior cage  is  connected  with  a  large  open-air  corral  where 
the  animals  can  exercise. 

A  full-grown  Indian  elephant  and  two  young  African  ele- 
phants are  to  be  seen,  as  well  as  the  rare  and  curious  Indian 
rhinoceros,  the  African  two-horned  rhinoceros,  the  African 
hippopotamus  and  the  pygmy  hippopotamus;  the  latter,  also 
from  Africa,  has  never  before  been  found  in  captivity. 
The  hippopotami  have  a  large  bathing  tank  within  the 

166 


THE  NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 

building  to  serve  instead  of  the  river  they  frequent  when 
at  home. 

North  of  the  Elephant  House  is  Baird  Court,  where  arc 
situated  the  Lion  House,  the  Primate  House,  the  Large 
Bird  House  and  the  Administration  Building,  the  latter  not 
open  to  the  public. 

The  Lion  House  (15  on  map)  is  a  spacious  building, 
decorated  exteriorly  with  animal  sculptures  by  Eli  Harve) . 
with  large  raised  outdoor  cages  and  sleeping  dens  for 
the  animals,  communicating  as  usual  with  indoor  accommo- 
dations. Here  Barbary  lions,  Bengal  tigers,  leopards. 
jaguars,  Siberian  tiger,  pumas  and  other  large  felines  make 
a  splendid  spectacle.  These  animals  are  fed  at  2  p.m.  A 
studio,  at  the  northeast  end  of  the  Lion  House,  is  arranged 
for  the  use  of  artists  who  wish  to  make  life-studies  of  its 
animals. 

In  the  Primate  House  (17  on  map)  are  the  animals  near- 
est to  man  in  the  zoological  order:  the  anthropoid  apes, 
baboons,  monkeys  and  lemurs. 

The  north  hall  of  this  house  contains  the  anthropoid 
apes,  the  type  nearest  to  man;  of  these,  the  chimpanzee 
and  orang-utan  are  always  kept  on  exhibition,  and  in  their 
large  outdoor  cage  are  a  constant  source  of  entertainment. 
The  great  apes,  however,  are  short-lived  in  captivity,  and 
therefore  somewhat  uncertain  quantities  in  zodlogical 
parks.  The  gorilla  is  especially  delicate,  and  this  most 
human-like  of  the  apes  cannot  always  be  shown  for  the 
reason  that  specimens  are  difficult  to  obtain   and  quickly 

167 


THE  NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 

die  of  indigestion  and  lack  of  exercise.  The  white-handed 
gibbon,  farthest  from  man  of  the  anthropoids,  has  a  large 
cage  on  the  west  of  this  hall  and  spends  much  time  swing- 
ing on  the  long  bar  provided  for  him  in  place  of  his  native 
tree-tops. 

The  baboons  are  strong  fierce  animals  accustomed  to  life 
upon  the  ground  surrounded  by  enemies,  and  have  to  be 
treated  with  respect.  Of  these  the  mandrill  of  West  Africa 
is  the  most  extraordinary  and  the  golden  baboon  the  best 
tempered  in  captivity.  The  long-armed  baboon,  the  chacma 
baboon,  the  hamadryads  of  Arabia  and  others  are  also  ex- 
hibited, on  the  east  of  the  central  hall.  These  cages  are  all 
provided  with  outdoor  accommodations.  Of  the  Old  World 
monkeys,  the  rhesus  monkey  of  India,  one  of  the  sacred 
species,  the  mona  monkey  and  sooty  mangabey  of  Africa, 
the  Japanese  red-faced  monkey  and  the  entellus  monkey  of 
India  are  to  be  found  among  other  representative  types. 

Except  for  the  sapajous  (the  hand-organ  monkeys),  which 
are  interesting  for  their  prehensile  tails,  the  New  World 
monkeys  are  not  very  hardy,  the  spider  monkeys,  sakis  and 
yarkes  being  especially  delicate.  The  rare  Humboldt's 
woolly  monkey  has  not  been  successfully  kept  inside  in 
small  cages  on  account  of  its  delicacy. 

The  lemurs,  monkey-like  animals,  chiefly  from  India  or 
Madagascar,  are  found  east  of  the  south  hall.  They  belong 
to  the  lowest  group  of  the  Primates  and  are  nocturnal  in 
nature,  but  in  the  Primate  House  they  appear  to  like  the 
sunshine. 

168 


ALLIGATOR     POOL 


AFRICAN    AND    INDIAN     ELEPHANTS 


GIANT     ToK: 


GAVIAL 


169 


THE  NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 

In  the  center  of  Baird  Court  is  the  large  Sea  Lion  Pool, 
where  the  animals  are  often  seen  engaged  in  spectacular 
diving.  At  the  north  end  of  the  Court,  the  Concourse  and 
Italian  Gardens  lead  to  the  Concourse  entrance  and  the 
Botanical  Garden. 

The  Administration  Building,  at  the  northwest  corner  of 
Baird  Court,  is  the  scientific,  literary  and  artistic  headquar- 
ters of  the  Zoological  Society  and  contains  also  Meeting 
Rooms  for  its  Members,  a  Library,  Galleries  and  the  Offices 
of  the  Director  and  Staff.  This  building  is  not  open  to  the 
public,  but  the  valuable  and  extensive  collection  of  hoofs 
and  horns  which  is  housed  here  may  be  seen  by  scientists, 
sportsmen  and  others  especially  interested. 

This  collection,  intended  finally  to  be  an  impressive  ex- 
hibit of  the  world's  horn-bearing  animals,  already  contains 
about  1,000  specimens,  many  of  them  of  record  size  and  all 
especially  fine  and  rare.  The  exhibit  is  arranged  in  two 
series,  occupying  separate  galleries:  a  zoological  series, 
intended  to  show  the  evolution  and  relationships  and  ar- 
ranged by  families  and  genera,  and  a  geographical  series, 
designed  to  display  the  hoofed  animal  resources  of  the 
various  continents. 

The  Reed-McMillin  collection,  donated  to  the  society  in 
1907  by  Emerson  McMillin,  is  especially  fine  and  contains 
besides  horned  animals  some  interesting  bear  and  walrus 
heads. 

A  completely  mounted  specimen  of  the  exceedingly  rare 
Chinese  takin  presented  by  Mason  Mitchell  may  also  be 

170 


THE  NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 

seen.  The  collection  of  moose,  elk  and  American  bison 
heads,  the  gift  of  Clarence  H.  Mackay,  occupies  the  walls 
of  the  adjoining  Members'  Room. 

Several  fine  animal  paintings  by  Carl  Rungius,  a  nucleus 
for  the  collection  of  animal  paintings  and  sculptures  which 
the  Society  intends  eventually  to  possess,  are  hung  in  the 
galleries  of  the  Administration  Building. 

The  Large  Bird  House,  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Baird 
Court,  is  an  L-shaped  building  with  an  all-glass  house  in 
its  angle.  It  is  specially  designed  for  perching  birds  and 
is  one  of  the  finest  collections  of  its  kind  in  existence. 
Large  cages  with  many  birds  in  each  cage  constitute  the 
principle  of  its  construction  — a  comparatively  new  idea. 

The  main  hall  contains  the  foreign  song  birds,  tropical 
doves  and  pigeons,  birds  of  paradise,  toucans  and  main 
other  oddities.  In  the  northeast  corner  of  this  hall  are  the 
cages  containing  the  smaller  finches  and  weavers,  including 
many  from  Africa,  India  and  China. 

The  large  Flying  Cage  in  the  center  of  this  hall  contains 
many  types,  from  small  tropical  perching  birds  to  heavy 
swimmers  and  waders,  all  apparently  contented  in  one  en- 
closure. Among  these  are  the  Yucatan  cardinal,  grenadier 
weaver,  English  skylark,  rain  quail  and  the  rare  ringed  teal 
of  Brazil  and  Argentina. 

The  top  of  the  L  is  Parrots'  Hall,  where  the  more  beauti- 
ful and  typical  parrots,  parrakeets,  macaws  and  cockatoos 
may  be  found. 

The  Glass  House  is  planned  to  contain  the  birds  of  the 

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THE  NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 

order  Passeres,  or  perching  song  birds.  All  the  twenty-one 
families  of  eastern  North  American  perching  birds  are 
represented:  flycatchers,  swallows,  wrens,  mockingbirds, 
catbirds,  thrushes,  kinglets,  vireos,  waxwings,  shrikes,  nut- 
hatches, brown  creepers,  warblers,  pipits,  horned  larks, 
sparrows,  honey  creepers,  tanagers,  blackbirds,  orioles, 
English  starling,  crows  and  jays,  as  well  as  many  foreign 
and  tropical  species. 

The  cages  in  the  Glass  House,  flanking  the  passage  to 
the  Parrot  Hall,  contain  especially  rare,  delicate  or  quarrel- 
some birds,  which  thrive  better  here  than  in  the  larger  flight 
cages.  Among  many  of  uncommon  interest  is  the  lately 
arrived  cock-of-the-rock  from  South  America. 

A  collection  of  quail  is  also  to  be  found  in  cages  in  the 
Glass  House. 

In  order  that  the  visitor  may  distinguish  between  the 
many  birds  in  each  cage,  a  picture  key  is  provided  on  all 
the  labels  of  all  the  bird  exhibits. 

A  circular  flying  cage  at  the  outer  corner  of  the  Glass 
Court  contains  the  flicker,  tanager,  robins,  thrushes,  car- 
dinal, Baltimore  oriole  and  others  hardy  enough  to  winter 
out  of  doors. 

In  cages  along  the  outside  of  the  western  hall  of  the 
Large  Bird  House  will  be  found  the  crow  and  blackbird 
families.  On  the  east  side  of  Baird  Court,  between  the 
Primate  House  and  the  Administration  Building,  an  exhibit 
of  bird  houses,  shelters  and  food  holders  designed  for  at- 
tracting and  encouraging  wild  birds  is  arranged  in  order  to 

172 


THE  NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 

stimulate  and  encourage  public  interest  in  bird  preservation 
and  protection. 

Leaving  Baird  Court  by  the  steps  southwest  of  the  Lai 
Bird  House,  the  Eagle  and  Vulture  Aviary  at  the  left  (  1  1 
on  map)  claims  attention,  containing  in  seven  large  Bight 
cages  and  six  smaller  cages  a  fine  collection  of  these 
birds  of  prey.  Among  them  are  the  lammergeier  vulture 
of  Asia,  the  booted  eagle,  vulturine  sea  eagle,  the  bateleur 
eagle  of  Asia  and  Africa,  the  rare  harpy  eagle  of  South 
America,  the  kolbe,  the  red-tailed  and  other  hawks,  the 
American  or  bald  eagle,  condor  and  others. 

A  beautiful  wooded  park  containing  a  herd  of  the  Euro- 
pean red  deer  surmounts  the  slope  overlooking  the  Eagle 
Aviary,  and  south  of  these  the  Zebra  House  with  its  out- 
door corrals  (14  on  map)  accommodates  the  zebras  and 
wild  asses.  The  Wild  Horse  House  and  corrals  adjoin  these 
on  the  west. 

Grevy's  zebra,  Grant's  zebra,  Chapman's  zebra  and  the 
rare  mountain  zebra  of  Cape  Colony  are  here,  and  the  herd 
of  Mongolian  wild  horses  is  especially  interesting,  provid- 
ing a  link  between  the  zebras  and  wild  asses  and  the  un- 
striped  domestic  horse. 

The  Persian  wild  ass,  the  gudha,  or  dwarf  donkey,  and  the 
Rocky  Mountain  sheep  have  their  homes  here. 

Descending  again  into  the  bird  valley,  east  of  the  Euro- 
pean red  deer,  passing  the  outdoor  cages  for  various 
pigeons  and  doves,  the  Aquatic  Bird  House  is  found,  sur- 
rounded by  ten  large  outside  cages  containing  the  owls. 

173 


FLYING   CAGE — INTERIOR 


LAKE   AGASSIZ 


BEAR   DENS 


174 


THE  NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 

The  house  is  used  in  winter  for  the  occupants  of  the  out- 
door Flying  Cage;  in  summer  the  Aquatic  Bird  House  is 
closed.  Several  large  outdoor  bird  cages  southwest  of  the 
Aquatic  Bird  House  contain  the  grackles,  finches,  sparrows 
and  other  hardy  American  birds. 

The  Flying  Cage  (5  on  map)  is  one  of  the  most  interest- 
ing installations  in  the  Park:  a  huge  structure  of  wire  net- 
ting supported  by  a  steel  frame  and  enclosing  several  large 
trees  and  a  good-sized  pond.  The  cage  is  152  feet  long, 
feet  high  and  75  feet  wide,  permitting  a  considerable 
range  of  flight  to  its  occupants.  These  are  a  varied  assort- 
ment of  rare  and  showy  water  birds,  among  which  are  the 
wood  ibis,  the  Indian,  black,  scarlet,  black-headed,  and 
white  ibises,  the  roseate  spoonbill,  purple  gallinule,  snowy 
egret,  cormorant,  the  Franklin  and  several  other  species  of 
gull,  the  snake  bird,  some  rare  ducks,  and  five  species  of 
the  active  and  amusing  pelican.  Feeding  time  for  the  Fly- 
ing Cage  is  4  p.m. 

The  Crane  Paddock,  west  of  the  Cage,  is  a  large  open-air 
enclosure  where  a  series  of  cranes  has  been  acclimatized 
and  remains  winter  and  summer.  At  the  south  end  is  the 
breeding  cage  of  the  rare  Cereopsis,  or  Cape  Barren,  geese, 
which  do  not  care  to  swim. 

Of  the  cranes,  the  rare  and  beautiful  whooping  crane. 
once  abundant  in  this  country  but  now  practically  extinct, 
is  worth  attention.  The  hooded  sandhill  and  European 
cranes,  the  wonderful  crowned  crane  of  Africa,  the  Javan 
and  Indian  adjutants,  marabou  stork  and  several  species  ol 

175 


THE  NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 

heron  occupy  this  enclosure,  but  the  more  delicate  species 
occupy  the  Ostrich  House  and  its  yards.  West  of  the  Crane 
Paddock,  two  outdoor  bird  cages  house  gyrfalcons,  and  op- 
posite these  is  a  perch  for  the  gaudy  and  noisy  macaws. 

The  Goose  Aviary  (3  on  map)  is  a  long  pond  with  three 
islands,  on  which  latter  are  breeding  houses  for  the  birds. 
American  flamingoes,  Chilean  skua,  African  spur-winged 
goose,  red-breasted  merganser,  herring  gull,  white  stork  and 
other  interesting  species  share  this  Aviary,  and  on  Cope 
Lake  to  the  north  are  the  swans  and  Canada  geese. 

The  northwest  corner  of  the  Park  is  devoted  to  the  deer 
of  Asia,  which  continent  is  richer  than  any  other  in  species 
of  deer.  On  the  hill  to  the  west  of  this  area  the  herds  of 
Indian  sambar,  Malay  sambar,  Indian  thameng  and  beauti- 
ful barasingha  deer  have  their  ranges,  faced  on  the  south 
by  the  Colombian  black-tailed  species. 

The  Japanese  sika  deer  occupy  a  slope  to  the  east;  the 
Indian  axis  deer,  the  most  beautiful  of  all  tropical  deer,  and 
the  hog-deer  of  India  share  the  Axis  Deer  House  above, 
and  the  ranges  of  the  fallow  deer,  a  native  of  Africa  but 
acclimatized  in  Europe,  and  the  Axis  Deer  Range  bring 
the  visitor  to  the  northwest  or  Fordham  entrance  of  the 
Park. 

From  here  it  is  possible  to  walk  or  take  a  surface  car 
half  a  mile  to  the  Fordham  station  of  the  elevated  railroad, 
which  connects  with  the  subway  at  149th  Street;  or,  one 
may  return  through  the  Park  to  the  Boston  Road  entrance 
and  take  the  subway  at  180th  Street. 

176 


THE  NEW  YORK  BOTANICAL 

GARDEN 

The  New  York  Botanical  Garden  was  established  by  an 
Act  of  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  New  York,  passed  in 
1891  and  amended  in  1894,  "for  the  purpose  of  establish- 
ing and  maintaining  a  Botanical  Garden  and  Museum  and 
Arboretum  therein,  for  the  collection  and  culture  of  plants, 
flowers,  shrubs  and  trees,  the  advancement  of  botanical 
science  and  knowledge,  and  the  prosecution  of  original 
researches  therein  and  in  kindred  subjects,  for  affording 
instruction  in  the  same,  for  the  prosecution  and  exhibition 
of  ornamental  and  decorative  horticulture  and  gardening 
and  for  the  entertainment,  recreation  and  instruction  of  the 
people." 

Pursuant  to  its  Charter  from  the  State  of  New  York,  the 
Garden  is  controlled  by  a  corporation,  from  which  man- 
agers are  elected,  and  these,  together  with  city  officials  and 
ex-officio  scientific  representatives  of  Columbia  University 
and  the  President  of  the  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  constitute 
the  Board  of  Managers.  Except  for  the  maintenance  of 
driveways,  which  is  referred  to  the  Park  Department,  the 
control  of  the  institution  by  this  Board  of  Managers  is 
exclusive. 

177 


CONSERVATORY'  (RANGE   NO.    1),   NEW   YORK   BOTANICAL   GARDEN 

PINETUM 
MUSEUM    FRONT   AND   BRONZE    FOUNTAIN 


178 


THE  NEW  YORK  BOTANICAL  GARDEN 

Membership  in  the  Garden  includes  Annual  Membe 
who  pay  an  annual  fee  of  $10,  and  who  may  become  Life 
Members  by  the  payment  of  $250;  also  Sustaining  Mem- 
bers, who  pay  from  $25  to  $100  annually,  and  Fellowship 
Members,  who  pay  $100  or  more  annually.  Provision  is 
also  made  for  Fellows  for  Life,  who  may  contribute  $1,000 
or  more  at  any  one  time,  for  Patrons,  who  may  contribute 
$5,000  or  more  by  gift  or  by  bequest,  and  for  Benefactor-. 
who  may  contribute  $25,000  or  more  by  gift  or  by  bequest 

The  Garden,  situated  in  the  northern  end  of  Bronx  Park. 
New  York  City,  includes  about  400  acres,  embracing  a 
varied  landscape  of  great  natural  beauty. 

It  may  be  reached  in  the  following  ways: 

By  the  Harlem  Division  of  the  New  York  Central  and 
Hudson  River  Railroad  to  Botanical  Garden  station. 

By  the  Third  Avenue  Elevated  Railway  to  the  terminal 
station  of  that  road  in  Bronx  Park.  This  station  is  at  the 
southwest  entrance  to  the  Garden. 

By  the  subway:  Take  train  marked  "180th  St.,  Bronx 
Park"  and  transfer  at  149th  Street  to  a  Third  Avenue  ele- 
vated train,  thence  to  Bronx  Park  terminal  station. 

By  trolley  car  on  Webster  Avenue  to  200th  Street  or  the 
Woodlawn  Road.  This  line  connects  with  lines  from  the 
western  part  of  the  Bronx  on  Fordham  Road  and  on  Tre- 
mont  Avenue  and  also  with  the  line  to  Yonkers. 

By  trolley  line  of  the  White  Plains  road  east  of  Bronx 
Park  from  West  Farms,  Williamsbridge  and  Mount  Vernon, 
connecting  with  lines  from  the  eastern  part  of  the  Bronx 
at  West  Farms  and  at  Mount  Vernon. 

179 


THE  NEW  YORK  BOTANICAL  GARDEN 

By  driveways  in  Mosholu  Parkway  from  Van  Cortlandt 
Park;  from  Pelham  Bay  Park  through  Pelham  Parkway; 
through  the  Crotona  Parkway  and  Southern  Boulevard 
from  Crotona  Park.  There  are  also  driveway  entrances  at 
200th  Street,  convenient  for  those  coming  from  Jerome 
Avenue;  at  Newell  Avenue  at  the  northern  end  of  the  Gar- 
den for  those  coming  from  the  north;  at  Allerton  Avenue 
on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Garden  for  those  coming  from 
the  east,  and  at  Woodlawn  Road  convenient  for  those  com- 
ing from  Yonkers  and  other  points  west  and  northwest  of 
the  Garden. 

The  Conservatories  and  Museum  Building  open  at  10 
a.m.,  and  close  at  5  p.m.  in  summer  and  at  4:30  p.m.  in 
winter. 

"Come  forth  into  the  light  of  things; 
Let   nature   be  your  teacher." 

Wordsworth. 

The  Botanical  Garden  includes: 

1.  The  Largest  Conservatories  on  the  American  conti- 
nent for  the  cultivation  of  plants  of  tropical  regions:  one 
located  near  the  entrance  at  the  elevated  railway  station, 
and  one  near  the  Allerton  Avenue  entrance  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  Garden. 

2.  The  largest  Botanical  Museum  in  the  world,  located 
near  the  Botanical  Garden  station  of  the  New  York  Central 
Railroad  and  the  Mosholu  Parkway  entrance.  This  build- 
ing includes,  besides  the  Museum  Collections,  a  large  Lec- 
ture Hall  in  the  basement,  for  public  lectures,  and,  on  the 

180 


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THE  NEW  YORK  BOTANICAL  GARDEN 

upper  floor,  the  Library,  Laboratories  for  instruction  and 
research  and  the  Herbarium. 

3.  The  Pinetum,  or  collection  of  cone-bearing  trees, 
mostly  evergreens,  located  on  the  hills  and  slopes  on  all 
sides  of  the  Conservatory  (Range  No.  1)  and  in  the  space 
between  this  structure  and  the  Museum  Building. 

4.  The  Herbaceous  Grounds,  situated  in  a  valley  east  of 
the  Conservatory  (Range  No.  1)  near  the  Southern  Boule- 
vard entrance,  containing  collections  of  hardy  herbaceous 
plants  arranged  according  to  botanical  relationship,  a  col- 
lection arranged  to  demonstrate  the  principles  of  elemen- 
tary botany,  and  the  Economic  Garden,  a  plantation  de- 
signed to  illustrate  hardy  plants  whose  products  are  directly 
useful  to  man. 

5.  The  Fruticetum,  or  collection  of  hardy  shrubs,  located 
on  the  plain  northeast  of  the  Museum  Building  at  the 
Woodlawn  Road  entrance  and  extending  northward  into  the 
North  Meadows.  This  collection  also  is  arranged  according 
to  botanical  relationship. 

6.  The  Deciduous  Arboretum,  or  collection  of  trees  which 
lose  their  leaves  in  the  autumn,  located  along  the  entire 
eastern  side  of  the  grounds  from  south  to  north. 

7.  The  Hemlock  Grove,  clothing  the  hills  between  the 
Museum  Building  and  the  Bronx  River  and  covering  about 
forty  acres,  considerable  portions  of  it  being  primeval.  This 
is  a  natural  feature  of  great  interest,  unique  within  the 
limits  of  a  city. 

182 


THE  NEW  YORK  BOTANICAL  GARDEN 

8.  The  Gorge  of  the  Bronx  River  extending  south  from 
the  waterfall  at  the  Lorillard  Mansion  along  the  edge  of  the 
Hemlock  Grove  nearly  to  the  southern  boundary  of  the 
Garden. 

9.  The  North  Meadows  and  River  Woods  along  the 
Bronx  River  from  the  northern  end  of  the  Hemlock  Grove 
to  the  northern  end  of  the  Garden. 

10.  The  Lorillard  Mansion,  which  contains  the  Board 
Rooms,  the  Office  of  the  Horticultural  Society  of  New 
York  and  the  Museum  of  the  Bronx  Society  of  Arts  and 
Sciences.  On  exhibition  there  are  rare  maps  and  print> 
of  early  New  York  lent  by  J.  Clarence  Davies,  relics  of 
the  Indians  of  this  section  and  of  the  early  colonists,  and 
a  loan  exhibit  of  paintings  and  sculpture  from  the  Metro- 
politan Museum  of  Art. 

CONSERVATORY  (Range  No.  1) 

This  Conservatory,  located  near  the  Third  Avenue  Ele- 
vated Railway  terminus,  is  more  than  500  feet  in  length, 
with  a  central  dome  about  ninety  feet  in  height.  The  total 
area  under  glass  in  this  house  is  about  one  acre.  It  has 
fifteen  compartments  or  houses: 

House  No.  1  contains  palms  of  many  species  from  all 
parts  of  the  world  where  these  occur.  Among  these  are: 
The  curious  Mexican  Acanthorhiza  aculeata,  which  has  its 
aerial  roots  modified  into  spines;  the  date  palm,  and  the 
Chinese  fan-palm.     Related  to  the  palms  and  shown  here 

183 


THE  NEW  YORK  BOTANICAL  GARDEN 

by  specimens  is  the  Panama  hat  plant.  A  clump  of  Chinese 
bamboo,  which  belongs  to  the  grass  family,  flourishes  here. 
This  plant  grows  with  great  rapidity  each  year  from  new 
shoots  which  come  up  from  under  ground,  measurements 
showing  that  it  has  here  reached  the  height  of  sixty-five 
feet  in  ninety-five  days,  a  rate  of  about  eight  inches  a  day. 

In  House  No.  2  also  are  to  be  found  specimens  of  the 
palm  family. 

House  No.  3  contains  tropical  monocotyledonous  plants, 
such  as  species  of  the  spider  lily,  maguey,  Dracaena,  bow- 
string hemp  and  arrowroot. 

In  House  No.  4  are  installed  many  large  tropical  plants, 
among  which  are:  The  interesting  screw-pines  with  their 
spirally  arranged  leaves  and  prominent  prop-roots;  the 
magnificent  Veitch's  tail-flower,  believed  to  be  the  most 
elegant  plant  of  its  kind  in  cultivation;  the  common  rubber 
tree;  the  banyan  tree;  the  chocolate  tree;  the  papaw  tree; 
the  breadfruit  tree;  and  two  striking  climbing  vines,  the 
night-blooming  jessamine  of  tropical  America,  which  opens 
its  flowers  after  dark  and  exhales  a  delicious  perfume,  and 
Henderson's  Allamanda  of  Brazil  with  its  showy  large  yel- 
low flowers. 

House  No.  5  is  given  over  to  desert  plants, — carrion 
flowers  from  Africa,  relatives  of  our  common  milkweeds, 
and  various  African  species  of  the  lily  family  which  have 
developed  storage  organs  for  water.  A  large  number  of 
stonecrops  and  their  relatives  are  to  be  found  in  this  house. 

184 


THE  NEW  YORK  BOTANICAL  GARDEN 

House  No.  6  is  also  a  desert  house  occupied  in  part  by 
the  cactus  family,  which,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
species,  is  American.  The  giant  tree-cactus  (Carnegiea 
gigantea)  and  some  of  the  Opuntias  and  night-blooming 
Cereuses  will  attract  attention.  This  house  contains  also 
the  century-plants,  which  are  limited  to  the  New  World. 
One  of  these,  the  sisal  plant,  produces  the  sisal  hemp  of 
commerce.  The  common  century-plant  and  related  species 
furnish  the  Mexican  drink  pulque.  It  is  popularly  be- 
lieved that  the  century-plant  does  not  bloom  until  it  is  one 
hundred  years  old  and  that  it  then  dies.  It  is  true  that  it 
dies  soon  after  blooming,  but  it  blooms  in  much  less  than 
a  century.  Other  plants  in  this  section  are  desert  repre- 
sentatives of  the  lily  family,  of  the  pineapple  family  and 
of  the  spurge  family. 

House  No.  7  contains  a  large  and  varied  collection  of 
cacti,  including  climbing,  columnar,  globose  and  epiphytic 
types. 

House  No.  8.     Here  will  be   found  a  very  large   and 
representative  collection   of  prickly  pears   (Opuntia)    and 
their  relatives,  including  the  cochineal  cactus   (Nopalea) 
upon  which  the  cochineal  insect  breeds. 

House  No.  9.  This  is  the  aquatic  house.  Of  especial 
interest  is  the  Egyptian  paper-plant  or  papyrus,  the  pith  of 
which  the  ancients  used  in  place  of  writing  paper.  On  the 
margin  of  the  pool  are  growing  some  plants  of  the  sugar- 

185 


THE  NEW  YORK  BOTANICAL  GARDEN 

cane.    Among  the  plants  in  the  pool  are  water-lilies,  water- 
hyacinth  and  parrot's  feather. 

House  No.  10  contains  aroids,  a  family  represented  in 
our  native  local  flora  by  jack-in-the-pulpit,  sweet-flag  and 
skunk-cabbage;  the  most  familiar  flower  in  cultivation  is 
the  calla-lily,  which  botanically  is  not  a  lily.  Among  others 
are  some  handsome  tail-flowers.  This  house  is  also  occu- 
pied by  plants  of  the  pineapple  family,  many  of  which  are 
epiphytic,  that  is,  they  grow  upon  other  plants,  such  as 
trees.  The  Florida  moss,  or  Spanish  moss,  which  festoons 
the  live-oaks  and  other  trees  of  the  south,  is  not  moss  but 
an  epiphyte  belonging  to  the  pineapple  family,  the  relation- 
ship being  indicated  by  its  flowers. 

House  No.  1 1  is  known  as  the  Banana  House.  Here  are 
brought  together  many  tropical  plants,  including  banana, 
plantain,  ginger,  the  Manila  hemp,  the  famous  traveler's 
tree  from  Madagascar  and  the  bird-of-paradise  plant. 

House  No.  12.  This  house  contains  plants  of  warm- 
temperate  regions.  Among  these  are  pitcher-plants,  and  a 
group  of  insectivorous  plants,  the  sundews;  citrus  fruits, 
including  the  orange  and  lemon;  two  small  trees,  "stinking 
cedar,"  belonging  to  the  yew  family,  most  interesting  be- 
cause it  is  known  to  occur  in  the  wild  state  only  in  a  small 
area  along  the  Apalachicola  River  in  Florida. 

In  House  No.  13  are  large  specimens  of  plants  from 
warm-temperate  regions,  including  Norfolk  Island  pine  and 
its  near  relatives;  New  Zealand  flax;  the  Cherokee  rose; 

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THE  NEW  YORK  BOTANICAL  GARDEN 

Eucalyptus  trees  of  Australia  and  Tasmania,  which  occur 
in  large  forests  and  sometimes  attain  a  height  of  200  to 
400  feet,  even  exceeding  in  height,  although  not  in  diame- 
ter, the  California  Big  Tree;  camphor  tree,  from  which  the 
camphor  of  commerce  is  obtained;  tea-plant;  fig  tree; 
olive  tree. 

House  No.  14  contains  other  interesting  plants  of  the 
warm-temperate  regions. 

House  No.  15  is  the  Orchid  House.  Here  are  repre- 
sentatives from  all  tropical  regions  as  well  as  some  from 
the  temperate  regions.  Most  of  the  tropical  forms  are 
epiphytes.  The  vanilla  plant,  an  orchid,  may  be  seen  here. 
Coming  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  except  very  cold  coun- 
tries, as  the  orchids  do,  their  blooming  time  varies  greatly, 
so  that  at  almost  any  time  of  the  year  some  of  these  inter- 
esting plants  may  be  found  in  flower. 

Conservatory  Court.  During  the  open  season  here  are 
a  large  collection  of  desert  plants  and  a  fine  display  of 
water-lilies,  the  latter  including  the  American  lotus  and  the 
remarkable  Victoria  water-lilies,  whose  floating  leaves  are 
circular  in  shape,  with  upturned  edges,  and  are  from  four 
to  six  feet  in  diameter. 

Conservatory  Flower  Beds 

On  the  north,  east  and  west  sides  of  the  Conservatory 
(Range  No.  1),  occupying  a  portion  of  the  area  below  the 
terrace,  are  several  large  plots  devoted  to   a  display  of 

188 


THE  NEW  YORK  BOTANICAL  GARDEN 

miscellaneous  shrubs,  evergreens  and  herbaceous  plants 
Attractive  flowers  may  be  seen  here  from  early  spring  until 
late  autumn,  while  the  evergreens  make  a  pleasing  efft 
during  the  winter.  Perhaps  the  most  interesting  flowers  in 
these  borders  are  the  old-fashioned  ones,  due  to  the  senti- 
ment connected  with  our  recollection  of  them  in  our  grand- 
mothers' flower-gardens.     The  plants  are  plainly  labeled. 

CONSERVATORY   (Range  No.  2) 

Space  will  not  permit  a  treatment  of  the  Conservatory 
in  detail.  Here  will  be  found  a  large  collection  of  sago- 
palms  or  cycads  and  many  tree-ferns,  as  well  as  many  other 
interesting  ferns  and  tropical  flowering  plants;  two  compart- 
ments are  filled  with  orchids  and  bromeliads.  The  East 
Indian  pitcher-plants  are  also  shown  here. 

THE  BOTANICAL  MUSEUM 

In  the  Museum  Building  three  floors  are  devoted  to  Pub- 
lic Exhibits: 

The  upper  floor  contains  Study  Rooms,  Library,  Labora- 
tories and  Herbarium. 

The  main  floor  is  occupied  by  exhibits  of  Economic 
Plants,  both  crude  and  refined  products  of  plants  used  in 
the  arts,  sciences  and  industries.  Among  these  are  found 
interesting  collections  of  food  products,  drugs,  fibers,  gums, 
resins,  sugars,  etc. 

189 


THE  NEW  YORK  BOTANICAL  GARDEN 

The  second  floor  is  given  over  to  Systematic  Botany. 
Here  are  attractive  exhibits  of  plants  representing  every 
group  from  the  lowest  to  the  highest. 

Installed  in  the  basement  are  the  collections  of  Fossil 
Plants,  including  those  of  the  coal  measures. 

The  Pinetum 

In  the  collection  of  cone-bearing  trees,  there  may  be 
seen  growing  specimens  from  all  temperate  regions  of  the 
world:  the  Douglas  spruce  and  the  California  Big  Tree 
from  western  United  States,  the  bald  cypress  from  southern 
United  States,  Veitch's  silver  fir  from  Mt.  Fujiyama,  the 
English  yew,  the  ginkgo  or  maidenhair  tree  from  eastern 
Asia,  and  many  others. 

The  Herbaceous  Grounds 

Here  is  a  large  collection  of  hardy  herbaceous  plants 
from  all  parts  of  the  world.  Part  of  this  collection  is 
planned  to  illustrate  plant  relationships,  part  to  show  the 
functions  of  various  plant  organs  (Morphological  Garden), 
and  there  is  also  an  Economic  Garden  and  a  plantation  of 
vines  (Viticetum). 

The  Fruticetum 

The  Fruticetum,  or  collection  of  shrubs,  occupies  about 
sixteen  acres  and  comprises  a  vast  number  of  hardy  orna- 
mental shrubs  of  the  world.     North  of  this  area  is  an 

190 


THE  NEW  YORK  BOTANICAL  GARDEN 

interesting    assemblage    of    moisture-loving    poplars    and 
willows  (Salicetum). 

The  Deciduous  Arboretum 

In  the  collection  of  deciduous  trees  are  to  be  seen  the 
English  walnut,  the  pecan  and  other  hickories,  the  birches, 
oaks,  elms,  ashes,  maples,  witch-hazel,  sweet  gum,  Ken- 
tucky coffee-tree,  persimmon  and  many  others. 

Hours 

The  grounds  and  buildings  are  open  free  to  the  public 
every  day  in  the  year.  Visitors  are  not  allowed  within  the 
Garden  after  eleven  o'clock  at  night  nor  before  six  o'clock 
in  the  morning  except  upon  driveways  and  paths  designated 
for  their  use  between  those  hours. 

Guides 

In  order  to  provide  a  method  for  viewing  the  collections 
under  guidance,  an  aid  leaves  the  front  door  of  the  Museum 
Building  every  week-day  afternoon  at  three  o'clock,  to 
escort  all  who  may  wish  to  accompany  him.  The  routes  are 
as  follows: 

Monday:  Hemlock  Forest,  Mansion  and  Herbaceous  Gar- 
den. Tuesday:  Pinetum.  Wednesday:  Fruticetum  and 
North  Meadows.  Thursday:  Deciduous  Arboretum,  Nur- 
series and  Propagating  Houses  and  Public  Conservatories 
(Range  No.  2).  Friday:  Public  Conservatories  (Range 
No.  1).    Saturday:  Museums. 

191 


192 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

A  collection  of  birds,  shells  and  fishes  exhibited  by  the  old 
Brooklyn  Institute  in  1854  may  be  regarded  as  the  nucleus 
of  the  present  Brooklyn  Museum,  which  was  organized  in 
1890  and  is  maintained  as  a  public  institution  under  the 
auspices  and  direction  of  the  Brooklyn  Institute  of  Arts  and 
Sciences.  The  latter  is  a  scientific  and  educational  institu- 
tion originally  incorporated  in  1824  as  the  Brooklyn  Ap- 
prentice Library  Association;  it  was  rechartered  as  the 
Brooklyn  Institute  in  1843,  having  among  its  avowed  pur- 
poses the  establishment  and  maintenance  of  Museums  and 
Libraries  of  Art  and  Science.  The  Institute  is  maintained 
by  fees  of  its  Members,  private  subscriptions,  and  in  part 
by  appropriation  from  the  City. 

The  collections  are  provided  by  the  Brooklyn  Institute  of 
Arts  and  Sciences,  which  raises  an  annual  fund  for  this 
purpose,  supplemented  by  special  bequests  and  subscrip- 
tions. 

The  Museum  is  situated  at  Eastern  Parkway  and  Wash- 
ington Avenue,  near  the  main  entrance  to  Prospect  Park, 
and  may  be  reached  from  New  York  by  subway  to  Atlantic 
Avenue  and  thence  by  St.  John's   Place  car  to  Sterling 

193 


194 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

Place;  or  from  the  Brooklyn  Bridge  by  Flatbush  Avenue  car 
to  Prospect  Park,  and  thence  along  Eastern  Parkway  to  the 
Museum  building. 

The  Museum  is  open  free  on  all  holidays  and  every  day 
in  the  week  except  Mondays  and  Tuesdays,  when  a  charge 
of  twenty-five  cents  for  adults  and  ten  cents  for  children 
under  sixteen  is  made.  Teachers  with  their  classes  are  ad- 
mitted free  at  all  times,  including  pay  days. 

Hours  for  visitors  are  9  a.m.  to  6  p.m.  Monday  to  Satur- 
day inclusive,  Sunday  from  2  to  6  p.m.  and  Thursday  even- 
ing from  7.30  to  9.45. 

The  Museum  has  three  departments:  Fine  Arts,  Ethnol- 
ogy and  Natural  History.  For  the  purposes  of  this  Guide  the 
two  latter  only  will  be  considered. 

The  Ethnological  Exhibits  are  installed  as  follows:  In  the 
Sub-basement  galleries,  collections  from  Japan  and  Korea; 
in  the  Basement,  specimens  and  collections  from  Polynesia, 
Siam,  Java,  Burma,  Japan,  China  and  Tibet;  on  the  First 
Floor,  collections  from  the  Indians  of  Southwestern  United 
States,  Central  and  Northern  California  and  the  Northwest 
Coast  of  America,  and  the  Avery  Collection  of  Chinese 
Cloisonne.  In  addition,  collections  from  East  India  are  in- 
stalled in  cases  on  the  stairway  landings. 

The  Natural  History  Collections  occupy  the  entire  Second 
Floor. 

The  main  entrance  of  the  building  is  used  only  on  Sun- 
days and  holidays.  The  week-day  entrance  hall  is  on  the 
basement  floor  west  of  the  main  entrance,  and  from  this 

195 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

point  it  is  convenient  to  begin  a  survey  of  the  ethnological 
collections  from  Japan. 

Passing  through  the  entrance  hall,  the  visitor  finds  imme- 
diately facing  him  the  stairway  to  the  Sub-basement.  The 
walls  of  this  stairway  are  utilized  for  exhibiting  a  collection 
of  Japanese  spears  and  halberds,  among  them  a  war  sickle 
three  hundred  years  old;  also  Japanese  scales  and  meas- 
ures, prints  and  maps. 


SUB-BASEMENT 

"Amid  the  fragrance  of  the  first -flowering  tachibana 
I  recall  the  perfumed  sleeves  of  the  ages  long  past." 

Old  Song  of  Japan. 

In  four  corridors  surrounding  the  auditorium  is  a  repre- 
sentative collection  of  objects  relating  to  the  every-day  life 
of  the  peoples  of  the  Japanese  Empire,  including  the  Ainu, 
who  inhabited  Japan  before  the  advent  of  the  Japanese,  and 
the  peoples  of  Korea  and  Formosa.  A  series  of  color  prints, 
reproductions  of  photographs,  and  other  illustrations  illumi- 
nate particularly  the  history  and  customs  of  Japan. 

At  the  foot  of  the  stairway,  a  floor  case  on  the  left  shows 
Japanese  funeral  furnishings,  including  models  of  biers  and 
of  lanterns  used  at  graves,  cremation  jars  for  ashes,  and 
miniature  images  of  warriors. 

The  exhibits  in  the  wall  cases  of  this  room  illustrate  the 
strict  anti-foreign  attitude  of  Japan  in  the  early  days  of 
European  invasion,  showing  certificates  issued  to  various 

196 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

people  stating  that  they  were  not  Christians,  public  notices 
prohibiting  Christianity  and  a  permit  to  an  English  captain 
to  visit  certain  forts.  Christianity  was  introduced  into  Japan 
early  in  the  sixteenth  century,  but  in  1637  occurred  a  mas- 
sacre of  all  the  Christians  in  the  land. 

A  Japanese  map  of  the  southern  countries  of  the  world. 
dated  1710,  a  picture  of  an  ancient  Japanese  war  vessel  and 
a  series  of  color  prints  by  Japanese  artists  of  scenes  in 
Tokyo  and  Yokohama  are  hung  on  the  walls  of  this  room. 
The  pictures  of  Yokohama  (Japan's  treaty  port  with  the 
western  world,  and  for  long  the  only  part  of  the  Empire  in 
which  foreigners  were  allowed  a  footing)  represent  espe- 
cially the  foreigners  in  that  city,  the  Sunday  procession  of 
foreigners  and  their  entertainments  being  particularly  in- 
teresting. 

Entering  the  North  Corridor  (to  right  from  foot  of  stair- 
case), in  wall  cases  on  the  right  appear  types  of  costumes 
worn  in  Japan,  respectively  by  workmen,  firemen,  porters, 
fishermen,  farmers  and  sailors,  together  with  tobacco  pipes, 
lamps,  candlesticks,  implements  and  games  used  by  persons 
of  various  ranks,  and  on  the  left  are  framed  specimens  of 
textiles  and  loom  patterns. 

In  studying  these  exhibits  and  those  in  the  Japanese  Hall 
above,  it  is  well  to  remember  that  no  country  in  the  world, 
excepting  China,  has  attached  so  much  importance  to  details 
of  dress  as  has  Japan.  Rules  as  to  color,  fabric,  pattern. 
even  to  the  tying  of  a  bow,  are  fixed  according  to  inviolable 
distinctions  of  rank  and  caste,  and  every  class  of  people  ha>> 

197 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

its  distinct  style  of  costume,  which  has  remained  practically 
unchanged  for  many  centuries.  Fans,  headgear,  even 
sports  and  amusements  came  under  these  regulations,  and 
the  Museum's  costume  and  pictorial  exhibits,  in  this  and 
the  Japanese  Hall  above,  are  designed  to  provide  as  far  as 
possible  a  representative  view  of  the  costumes  and  culture 
of  the  country. 

Also  on  this  wall  is  a  series  of  color  reproductions  of 
Japanese  costumes,  from  models  in  the  Imperial  Museum 
of  Tokyo.  These  comprise  costumes  of  a  "Sohei,"  or  war- 
rior priest  of  the  thirteenth  to  the  fifteenth  century;  a  hunt- 
ing costume  of  the  same  date;  a  court  dress  of  the  eighth 
century;  Emperor's  coronation  robe  of  the  ninth  to  the  nine- 
teenth century;  court  dress  of  civil  and  military  officials,  in 
use  from  the  eleventh  to  the  nineteenth  century,  and  the 
dancing  dress  of  a  boy  noble  from  the  ninth  century  onward. 

A  small  room  at  the  end  of  this  corridor,  the  entry  to 
which  exhibits  ancient  maps  of  Japan,  China  and  Korea, 
contains  in  a  case  at  the  right  of  the  entry  a  series  of 
painted  pottery  figurines  illustrating  the  races  of  the  Japan- 
ese Empire.  Japanese,  Korean,  Formosan,  Luchuan,  Ainu, 
Gilyak  and  Crochon  types  are  shown,  also  clay  figurines  of 
Korean  costumes. 

Two  cases  of  Japanese  lacquer  work,  containing  lac- 
quered boxes,  chests,  plates  and  trays,  carved  ivory  figures 
and  elaborately  ornamented  metal  objects,  indicate  the  skill 
and  artistry  of  the  Japanese  in  these  lines. 

The  art  of  working  with  lacquer  is  of  great  antiquity  in 

198 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

Japan  and  probably  was  introduced  from  China.  The  finest 
old  lacquer  was  made  under  conditions  scarcely  reprodu- 
cible to-day,  with  no  thought  of  money  value  or  of  payment, 
by  handicraftsmen  in  the  service  of  the  Daimyos  <  feudal 
lords),  who  worked  for  the  sheer  love  of  producing  the  most 
perfect  work  of  art  and  craftsmanship  that  it  was  possible 
for  man  to  execute.  At  the  left  end  of  this  case  is  an  ex- 
hibit of  specimen  lacquers  showing  the  stages  in  the 
process.  The  finest  lacquer  is  so  hard  that  the  surface  can- 
not be  scratched. 

In  metal  work  also,  the  processes  employed  to  give  deco- 
rative effects  are  more  numerous  and  carried  to  greater 
perfection  in  Japan  than  in  the  arts  of  any  other  people. 
Small  metal  objects  especially  are  often  elaborately  orna- 
mented by  damascening,  chasing,  inlaying,  combining  of 
metals  and  repousse  work.  In  cases  at  the  left  of  the  entry 
in  this  room  are  box  handles  of  iron  inlaid  with  gold,  silver 
and  cloisonne,  unornamented  locks  many  centuries  old,  or- 
namental locks,  hand-pulls  and  other  objects,  which  give  an 
impression  of  the  art  of  metal  working  as  practised  in 
Japan. 

The  elaborate  inlaying  of  armor  and  decoration  of  swords 
and  sword  furnishings  may  be  seen  in  the  hall  above. 

An  exhibit  of  ancient  seals,  including  bronze  seals  For 
pictures  and  ornamental  writings,  wooden  seals  used  by 
bookkeepers,  writing  materials,  and  water  pots  for  mixing 
ink,  appears  at  the  left  of  the  entrance  in  this  room. 

The  West  Corridor,  at  the  left  of  this  room,  exhibits  robes 

199 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

and  garments  of  men  and  women  of  various  ranks,  toilet 
articles  of  all  kinds,  including  rouge  and  rouge  brushes, 
razors,  hairpins  and  combs,  trinket  boxes  and  tooth  brushes, 
color  prints  representing  Japanese  life  of  the  fourteenth, 
eighteenth  or  nineteenth  centuries  and  games  played  by 
girls.  The  case  of  pottery  in  this  corridor  exhibits  various 
types  of  Japanese  ware.  Although  pottery  of  a  crude  kind 
was  made  in  Japan  at  an  early  period,  it  was  not  until  the 
sixteenth  century  that  a  Korean  potter  came  to  Kioto  and 
made  a  common  kind  of  black  earthenware  with  lead  glaze, 
called  Raku  ware.  For  eleven  generations  the  descendants 
of  this  man  have  made  the  same  kind  of  ware.  It  is  espe- 
cially valued  for  use  in  the  tea  ceremony.  The  introduction 
of  this  and  later  of  other  methods  from  Korea  and  China 
gave  a  great  impetus  to  pottery  making,  and  many  cele- 
brated Japanese  potters  have  since  made  themselves 
famous. 

In  a  case  on  the  left  of  this  corridor  is  a  series  of  objects 
from  Korea,  including  arrows,  helmets,  apparel  and  other 
instruments  of  culture.  The  conquest  of  Korea  occurred 
early  in  Japanese  history,  and  many  of  the  arts  of  Japan 
were  derived  from  this  country  and  through  it  from  China. 

The  South  Corridor  at  the  left  contains  robes  of  Buddhist 
priests,  labels  used  by  pilgrims,  charms  and  emblems  to  be 
obtained  at  shrines,  and  votive  offerings.  Color  prints  on 
the  walls  of  this  corridor  show  the  game  of  "Suguroku." 
This  is  a  game  of  a  semi-educational  nature,  in  which,  in  a 
series  of  squares  surrounding  a  central  "goal,"  are  printed 

200 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

pictures  of  various  types  according  to  the  subject  with 
which  it  is  desired  to  familiarize  the  player;  in  this  case 
Japanese  heroes,  in  others  religions,  famous  places,  etc.; 
many  different  specimens  of  this  game  are  shown  in  these 
galleries. 

Kites,  the  flying  of  which  is  enjoyed  by  old  and  young  in 
Japan,  chess,  backgammon  and  other  games,  dice  and  toys 
are  shown  in  this  corridor,  and  in  alcoves  on  the  left  are 
reproductions  of  antiques  and  art  treasures  from  the  Im- 
perial Treasure  at  Nara.  Nara  was  the  residence  of  the 
Mikados  from  a.d.  708  to  782,  after  which  the  court  was 
removed  to  Kioto.  At  the  time  of  the  removal,  the  Imperial 
furniture  and  property  of  all  kinds  were  stored  in  the  large 
wooden  storehouse,  "Shoso-in,"  built  for  the  purpose. 
Here  it  remained  packed  in  wooden  chests  for  nearlv  1 .200 
years  and  is  now  exhibited  in  corridors  surrounding  the 
temple.  This  celebrated  collection  of  antiques  and  curios 
includes  books,  sculptures,  screens,  pottery,  masks,  copper 
bowls,  ornaments,  weapons  and  utensils  of  all  kinds,  as  well 
as  dresses  and  fabrics.  The  larger  part  of  these  are  of 
foreign  origin,  many  of  them  Chinese. 

In  a  case  at  the  left  of  this  corridor,  an  exhibit  of  bow- 
and  arrows  shows  practice,  hunting  and  ceremonial  arrow- 
arrows  in  different  stages  of  manufacture,  practice  and  long 
distance  bows  and  a  crossbow  four  hundred  years  old.  The 
arrow  has  an  important  place  in  primitive  culture,  and 
those  of  each  individual  bear  his  name,  except  in  the  case 
of  war  arrows.     They  are  used  ceremonially  for  purposes 

201 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

of  divination.  Small  arrows  were  used  in  playing  a  game, 
and  Korean  playing  cards  still  bear  representations  of  the 
arrows  from  which  they  were  derived.  Opposite  this  ex- 
hibit is  a  case  of  spear  heads. 

An  exhibit  of  articles  from  Formosa,  comprising  baskets, 
hats,  palm-leaf  clothing,  weapons  and  other  objects,  occu- 
pies a  case  at  the  east  end  of  this  corridor,  followed  by  an 
exhibit  of  carved  wooden  implements  from  the  Ainu.  These 
peoples,  who  inhabited  Japan  before  the  advent  of  the  Jap- 
anese and  probably  once  occupied  the  greater  part  of  the 
country,  are  now  confined  almost  entirely  to  the  Island  of 
Yezo  in  northern  Japan.  Their  culture  was  that  of  the 
Stone  Age,  characterized  by  the  entire  absence  of  metal. 
The  east  corridor  on  this  floor  contains  exhibits  of  Ainu 
culture  showing  looms  and  methods  of  weaving  rough  fab- 
rics from  elm-tree  bark,  heads  of  the  deified  bear,  carved 
knife  sheaths,  pipe  holders,  tobacco  boxes  and  moustache 
lifters,  models  of  boats  and  canoes,  and  utensils. 


202 


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BASEMENT  FLOOR 


The  entrance  hall  to  this  floor  (Room  5  on  plan)  is  lined 
with  cases  exhibiting  robes  and  headgear  of  Japanese  court 
ladies  of  the  early  nineteenth  century.  The  court  dress  of 
Japan  is  fuller  than  the  ordinary  clothing  and  unconfined  at 
the  waist.  The  Empress's  robe,  called  "go-i,"  or  robe  of 
five  thicknesses,  is  of  silk  damask  made  in  five  thicknesses 
on  the  edges  of  the  sleeves  and  skirt,  so  as  to  give  the 
appearance  of  a  number  of  robes.  Both  winter  and  sum- 
mer styles  of  "go-i"  are  exhibited.  Color  prints  and  wood 
carvings  are  displayed  on  the  vacant  wall  space  of  the 
entrance  hall,  which  gives  access,  through  a  passage  on  the 
left,  to  the  main  Japanese  Hall. 

A  pair  of  sliding  temple  doors,  painted  by  an  artist  of 
the  Kano  School  in  1750,  are  shown  in  the  entrance  to  this 
hall,  and  the  hall  itself  (Room  4  on  plan)  has  been  de- 
signed, decorated  and  lighted  with  a  view  to  suggesting  the 
atmosphere  of  the  Island  Empire.  A  particularly  rich  and 
representative  assemblage  of  armor,  weapons,  costumes, 
objects  connected  with  religion,  musical  instruments,  games 
and  writing  implements,  together  with  Japanese  books, 
color  prints  and  other  illustrated  material,  is  to  be  seen 

203 


WKmmmem 


204 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

here;  the  central  aisle  divides  the  hall  into  halves,  the  right 
or  south  side  being  devoted  for  the  most  part  to  military 
costumes,  accoutrements  and  paraphernalia  and  color 
prints  representing  war,  while  the  other  side  is  given  over 
to  civil,  ceremonial  and  religious  costumes  and  objects  re- 
lating to  the  arts. 

At  the  right  of  the  entrance  two  large  cases  are  devoted 
to  an  exhibit  of  dolls  used  in  the  annual  celebration  of  the 
"Hinamatsuri,"  or  dolls'  festival,  on  the  third  day  of  the 
third  month.  This  is  the  girls'  fete  day,  when  dolls  repre- 
senting historical  characters,  studiously  exact  in  every  de- 
tail, and  with  attendant  servitors,  vassals,  equipages,  etc., 
are  marshalled  by  the  children.  The  making  of  these  costly 
dolls  provides  employment  for  many  artists,  and  collections 
of  them  are  handed  down  from  generation  to  generation. 
The  idea  on  which  the  festival  is  based  originated  in  China 
as  a  rite  for  exorcising  evil  spirits,  consisting  in  rubbing 
one's  self  with  a  puppet  provided  by  the  exorciser.  Family 
puppets  were  later  ranged  in  a  shelf,  and  out  of  this  grew 
the  Japanese  festival. 

Beside  and  behind  these  cases  a  fine  collection  of  orna- 
mented swords,  sword  hilts,  scabbards  and  mountings  may 
be  seen,  adjoining  exhibits  of  spears,  spear  racks  and  chain 
armor.  The  inlaying  of  armor  with  gold  and  silver  began 
in  Japan  in  the  twelfth  century  or  earlier,  but  sword  deco- 
ration not  until  the  fifteenth  century. 

The  majority  of  the  high  floor  cases  on  this  side  of  the 
hall  are  utilized  to  display  a  very  remarkable  collection  of 

205 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

Japanese  armor.  War  drums,  war  fans,  war  horns,  masks 
and  bells,  with  the  warrior's  lunch  box,  pencil  case,  camp 
stool  and  water  cup,  give  a  comprehensive  idea  of  an  an- 
cient Samurai  equipment,  and  toward  the  eastern  end  of  the 
hall  a  lacquered  wooden  saddle  with  bridle  reins  and  horse- 
man's dipper  complete  the  cumbersome  regalia  with  which 
the  warrior  took  the  field. 

A  hunting  hat,  worn  by  a  Daimyo,  or  feudal  lord,  with 
implements  and  apparel  for  archery,  and  a  complete  hunt- 
ing costume  are  also  shown. 

In  the  second  of  the  large  floor  cases  from  the  western 
end  of  the  hall  on  this  side  will  be  found  prehistoric  relics 
from  the  dolmens,  or  rock  chambers,  covered  with  mounds, 
in  which  the  early  Japanese  buried  their  dead.  Many  inter- 
esting objects  have  been  found  in  these  chambers,  indi- 
cating an  advanced  stage  of  culture.  Pieces  of  gold-plated 
iron  harness,  trappings,  swords,  bronze  arrow-heads,  cere- 
monial stone  axes  and  carved  jewel  stones  of  the  curious 
curved  type  called  "magatama"  are  shown  in  this  case. 
The  latter  belonged  to  an  age  of  culture  before  the  immi- 
gration of  the  Japanese,  but  were  much  prized  ornaments 
in  Japan  well  into  the  historic  period.  Nine  color  prints  by 
Japanese  artists,  of  ancient  Japanese  battle  scenes,  occupy 
part  of  the  wall  space  on  this  side  of  the  hall.  A  collection 
of  war  masks  is  exhibited  above  them,  and  to  the  right  is  a 
fine  collection  of  seventeenth  century  helmets.  Next  to 
this  an  exhibit  of  weapons  includes  several  ceremonial  and 
other  swords,  some  elaborately  chased  and  decorated. 

206 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

Exhibits  connected  with  the  Buddhist  religion,  including 
images,  temple  ornaments,  plates,  lamps,  miniature  shrines, 
rosaries  and  other  ornamental  and  ceremonial  object 
occupy  the  three  remaining  wall  cases  on  the  left-hand  side 
of  the  hall;  and  on  each  side  of  the  hall  at  this  end  a  series 
of  images  of  "Rakan,"  or  disciples  of  Buddha,  is  shown 
seated  around  a  raised  dais,  as  in  Japanese  temples.  A 
carved  alms  chest  from  the  Nichiren  temple  faces  these  on 
the  right  side  of  the  room,  and  below  it  is  a  case  of  fans 
used  by  priests. 

The  floor  cases  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  hall,  begin- 
ning at  the  western  end,  exhibit  drums,  bells  and  rattles 
used  by  priests,  pilgrims  and  mendicants,  or  in  ceremonial 
dances,  including  a  rattle  bell  used  in  dancing  the  Kagura. 
This  is  a  very  ancient  Japanese  religious  dance  associated 
with  Shinto  ceremonials.  A  gong  used  in  the  Bakabayashi, 
or  music  performed  at  festivals,  is  also  exhibited  here. 

A  collection  of  Japanese  musical  instruments,  showing 
flutes,  pitch  pipes,  whistles,  clarinets  and  drums,  main 
types  of  flutes  and  the  Chinese  "biwa,"  is  exhibited  in  this 
case  and  in  others  on  the  adjacent  walls,  together  with 
books  of  classical  music,  color  prints  showing  dancers  of  the 
Bugaku,  a  musical  dance  of  the  Imperial  Court,  and  head- 
dresses worn  in  connection  with  dancing  and  music.  The 
flute  used  to  accompany  the  No  dance  and  the  ceremonial 
headdress,  or  kammurai,  worn  in  this  dance,  are  interest- 
ing because  this  is  the  religious  ceremonial  dance  adopted 
from  the  old  Shinto   Kagura  by  the  Buddhist   priests;    it 

207 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

came  into  high  favor  with  the  aristocracy  and  was  the  foun- 
dation of  the  Japanese  drama.  Brocaded  kimonos  used  in 
this  dance  are  shown  in  a  wall  case  on  the  right. 

Down  the  hall  are  robes,  headgear  and  other  apparel 
worn  by  nobles,  including  football  costumes  and  balls.  Foot- 
ball was  a  game  especially  for  the  nobles  and  consisted  in 
keeping  the  ball  high  in  the  air,  no  goals  being  used. 

The  Ho,  or  principal  outer  robe  worn  by  nobles  as  a 
ceremonial  dress,  dates  from  300  a.d.,  when  the  dress  itself 
and  the  silk  to  make  it  were  imported  from  China,  different 
colors  and  patterns  signifying  different  ranks,  that  of  the 
prince  of  the  blood  being  yellow.  Various  examples  are 
exhibited,  together  with  fans,  stockings,  hats  and  cere- 
monial scepters  used  by  nobles.  No  noble  below  the  fifth 
rank  could  use  an  ivory  scepter.  Cups  and  bowls  once  used 
in  the  Imperial  Household  are  also  shown  here. 

Still  farther  down  the  hall  the  cases  are  devoted  to  ex- 
hibits relating  to  the  Shinto  religion,  the  original  and  essen- 
tially Japanese  religion  of  the  country.  These  include 
robes,  hats  and  fans  of  priests,  Shinto  shrines  and  offer- 
ings, and  "makimono,"  or  rolls  of  color  prints  representing 
religious  processions.  Ancestor  worship,  one  of  the  main 
tenets  of  this  religion,  probably  arose  from  some  form  of 
nature  worship,  and  the  key-note  of  its  outward  observance 
is  simplicity,  no  graven  images,  color  or  carving  being  em- 
ployed in  Shinto  temples  and  shrines,  whereas  in  Buddhist 
temples  richness  of  decoration  and  appurtenance  is  the  rule. 

Buddhist  books,  paintings,  costumes,  hangings  and  other 

208 


THE  BROOKLYN   Ml  Ml   \\ 

objects  are  shown  in  cases  at  the  lower  end  of  the  hall,  and 

an  elaborate  miniature  Buddhist  temple  of  the  type  kept  in 
private  houses  occupies  a  case  to  the  right  of  the  entrance 
here.  Behind  this  are  shown  ceremonial  weapons,  baton, 
scepters,  incense  boxes  and  other  objects  used  by  Buddhist 
priests,  and,  next  to  these,  objects  used  in  Japan  by  fortune 
tellers,  palmists  and  other  diviners  of  the  future. 

On  the  wall,  on  this  side  of  the  hall,  an  exhibit  of  toys 
and  games  includes  the  popular  battledore  and  shuttlecock, 
tops,  balls,  skates  and  polo  rackets,  and  a  series  of  twelve 
color  prints  represents  various  children's  games,  appropri- 
ate respectively  to  the  twelve  months  of  the  year.  Another 
set  of  color  prints  represents  the  Japanese  version  of  the 
birth  of  Buddha,  and  at  the  western  end  of  this  very  inter- 
esting exhibit  is  a  case  in  which  colors,  brushes  and  blocks 
used  in  Japanese  color  printing  are  shown.  Among  these  a 
set  of  eight  old  wooden  blocks  for  a  color  print,  with  six- 
teen impressions  showing  stages  in  the  printing,  together 
with  the  finished  print,  are  especially  instructive. 

Ascending  the  steps  at  the  western  end  of  the  Japam 
Hall  into  Hall  3,  the  visitor  finds  exhibits  from  Siam,  Java 
and  Burma.     Two  wall  cases  on  the  right  contain  objects 
from   Siam,   including   many   Buddhist   images,   decorated 
betel-nut  boxes  and  porcelain  gambling  counters. 

On  the  left,  a  case  of  objects  from  Burma  shows  games, 
weapons  and  objects  connected  with  Buddhism.  Beyond,  an 
exhibit  from  Java  contains  for  the  most  part  weapons  and 
musical  instruments. 

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THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

A  set  of  Burmese  playing  cards  is  exhibited  on  a  doorway 
on  the  left  of  this  hall. 

Proceed  into  Hall  1,  which  contains  collections  from  the 
South  Pacific  Islands. 

The  two  central  floor  cases  here  are  devoted  to  objects 
of  Hawaiian  culture,  consisting  of  stone  implements, 
wooden  platters,  ornaments  and  images.  The  implements 
for  making  "tapa"  or  bark  cloth  from  the  bark  of  the  paper 
mulberry  form  an  interesting  part  of  this  exhibit.  Speci- 
mens of  black  bark  cloth,  used  for  wrapping  the  dead,  white 
for  new-born  children,  and  a  many-layered  "tapa"  used  as 
a  bed  sheet  are  shown.  Among  the  Pacific  Islands  tapa 
making  reaches  highest  perfection  in  Hawaii,  and  in  cases 
on  the  west  wall  and  alcove  of  this  room  is  a  series  of  fine 
specimens  of  Hawaiian  tapa  ornamented  with  various  na- 
tive designs  in  black  and  color. 

A  case  of  native  spears  will  be  seen  at  the  back  of  the 
hall,  and  behind  the  elevator  a  Haida  Indian  totem  pole, 
placed  here  where  the  staircase  provides  for  its  great  height. 

On  the  east  wall  of  this  room  are  shown  exhibits  from 
New  Zealand,  the  Hervey  Islands,  Samoa  and  the  Mar- 
quesas Islands,  among  which  may  be  mentioned  a  carved 
ceremonial  adze  and  paddles  from  the  Hervey  Islands,  and 
the  large  wooden  images  from  New  Zealand  carved  to  sim- 
ulate "moko"  or  tattooing. 

The  Gilbert  Islands  and  New  Britain  Archipelago  arc 
also  represented  by  cases  on  the  east  wall,  containing  na- 
tive masks,  headdresses,  armor  and  implements. 

211 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

Opposite  these  on  the  west  wall  a  case  of  specimens  from 
the  Fiji  Islands  shows  tapa,  fish  hooks,  wooden  bowls  for 
drinking  the  native  drink,  "kava,"  and  other  articles. 

In  all  these  cases  reproductions  of  illustrations  taken 
from  "The  Living  Races  of  Mankind"  serve  to  give  an  im- 
pression of  the  natives  from  whom  the  exhibits  are  derived. 

The  greater  part  of  these  South  Pacific  collections  be- 
longed to  the  late  Appleton  Sturgis  and  are  lent  by  his  son. 

Returning  to  the  Elevator  Hall,  the  visitor  will  find  the 
entrance  to  the  Chinese  gallery  immediately  facing  the 
stairway  to  the  Sub-basement.  Here,  in  a  series  of  wall 
cases,  is  displayed  a  fine  collection  of  Chinese  court,  mili- 
tary and  ladies'  costumes,  headdresses  and  ornaments,  to- 
gether with  a  large  number  of  other  objects  illustrative  of 
Chinese  civilization. 

Vases,  charms,  chopsticks,  spoons  and  other  utensils, 
musical  instruments,  tea  and  wine  cups,  toilet  articles, 
games  of  many  kinds,  writing  utensils,  lottery  diagrams, 
pipes  of  all  kinds,  opium  outfit,  rosaries,  incense  holders 
and  other  objects  connected  with  religion,  bronze  spear 
heads,  weights,  weapons  and  art  objects  make  up  an  exhibit 
interesting  alike  to  the  student  or  the  casual  visitor. 

At  the  eastern  end  of  the  Chinese  Gallery  is  a  smaller 
room  devoted  to  an  exhibit  from  Tibet,  consisting  of  Bud- 
dhist pictures  done  on  silk  and  Buddhist  images. 

The  Museum  Library,  in  which  may  be  consulted  a  large 
number  of  works  of  reference  bearing  on  the  various  col- 
lections, is  at  the  extreme  eastern  end  of  this  floor. 

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MAIN  OR  FIRST  FLOOR 

The  Avery  collection  of  Chinese  cloisonne  enamels,  con- 
sidered to  be  the  finest  collection  of  its  kind  in  the  United 
States,  is  included  among  the  exhibits  of  the  Department  of 
Ethnology  and  is  arranged  in  a  series  of  cases  at  the  south 
side  of  the  central  portion  of  the  hall. 

The  distinguishing  feature  of  cloisonne  enamels  is  that 
the  vitreous  pastes  are  separated  by  partitions  formed  by 
soldering  thin  upright  ribbons  of  metal  to  the  metal  ground, 
the  sections  between  the  partitions  holding  enamel  of  dif- 
ferent colors,  laid  on  in  the  form  of  paste  and  fused  by 
firing.  The  art  was  practised  by  the  Egyptians,  Greeks  and 
Romans  and  handed  on  by  them  to  the  Byzantines,  from 
whom  it  was  borrowed  by  the  Chinese  in  the  fourteenth 
century,  its  later  development  being  practically  confined  to 
the  Chinese  and  Japanese. 

The  four  halls  comprising  the  western  portion  of  the 
main  floor  of  the  Museum,  reached  from  the  Avery  collec- 
tion by  ascending  a  few  steps  to  the  west,  contain  the  col- 
lection from  the  Indians  of  Southwestern  United  States, 
Central  and  Northern  California  and  the  Northwest  Coast. 


213 


CHINESE    CLOISONNE AVERY    COLLECTION 


214 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

The  first  of  these  halls  (Room  4  on  plan)  is  devoted  to 
exhibits  illustrating  the  customs,  arts  and  industries  of  the 
Indians  of  the  Southwest,  and  of  these  the  Zuni,  an  agri- 
cultural tribe  occupying  the  pueblo,  or  town,  of  Zuni  in 
western  New  Mexico,  have  been  selected  for  particular 
attention,  as  being  in  many  respects  representative  of  all. 

All  the  exhibits  on  the  left  (south)  side  of  the  hall  are 
drawn  from  these  people.  Those  on  the  north  side  are 
from  tribes  adjacent  to  the  Zuni:  the  Navajo,  Apache,  Hopi 
and  the  prehistoric  cliff-dwelling  Indians  from  Canon  de 
Chelly  in  Arizona.  The  collections  consist  of  masks,  dolls, 
weapons,  ceremonial  objects  and  musical  instruments  used 
in  the  ritualistic  dances  which  form  an  important  part  of 
Indian  life;  implements  used  in  the  various  industries, 
games,  costumes,  ornaments,  pottery,  snares  and  weapons 
of  the  chase. 

At  the  east  end  of  the  hall,  a  map  of  the  ancient  Spanish 
province  of  Cibola,  which  includes  the  Zuni  country,  is  ex- 
hibited over  the  entry.  In  1648,  a  mission  was  established 
by  the  Spaniards  among  the  Zuni,  and  they  dwelt  for  many 
years  under  Spanish  influence.  Many  exhibits  illustrating 
this  influence,  as  distinguished  from  those  of  purely  Indian 
origin,  will  be  found  on  the  south  wall,  including  relics 
from  the  old  Spanish  churches,  wooden  door  and  window 
frames,  mallets,  shovels,  bow  and  gun  racks  and  iron  tools. 

The  first  of  the  large  floor  cases  on  the  left  side  of  the 
hall  exhibits  carved  wooden  columns  from  the  old  Spanish 
church  and  specimens  of  adobe  brick  from  which  the  church 

215 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

and  some  of  the  houses  in  Zurii  are  made;  also  fetiches 
and  charms  and  a  collection  of  masks  worn  in  dances. 
These  ceremonies  are  designed  to  secure  rain,  produce 
crops  or  achieve  healing.  In  them  the  priests  of  the  various 
secret  societies  personate  the  gods,  each  god  requiring  a 
differently  made  or  painted  mask  and  costume.  The  masks 
are  of  five  general  types  but  exhibit  great  variety.  Similar 
masks  are  found  among  the  Hopi,  Keres,  Tewa  and  other 
pueblo  tribes  of  the  Southwest,  in  representation  of  the 
same  gods.  The  same  mask  may  be  used  in  different 
dances,  being  painted,  however,  according  to  the  require- 
ments of  each.  Firearms  have  superseded  the  primitive 
bow  and  arrow,  club  and  shield  of  the  Indians,  which  are 
now  used  only  in  ceremonial  dances. 

At  this  end  of  the  hall  is  a  model  of  Montezuma's  Well 
near  Cape  Verde,  Arizona,  a  circular  depression  with  natu- 
rally perpendicular  walls,  in  which  are  several  cliff  dwell- 
ings. It  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  sites  of  Indian  habi- 
tation in  the  Verde  Valley,  and  is  claimed  by  the  Hopi  as 
the  home  of  their  ancestors. 

The  representations  of  Zuhi  altars,  shown  among  the 
masks  in  two  of  the  cases,  and  the  labels  referring  to  them 
and  to  Zuni  secret  societies,  should  be  studied  in  connection 
with  the  color  sketches  of  shrines  on  the  south  wall  and 
with  the  bells  obtained  from  shrines  shown  in  cases  farther 
down  the  hall. 

The  Zuhi  have  thirteen  secret  societies,  to  one  or  the 
other  of  which  the  greater  part  of  the  population  belongs. 

216 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

The  chief  object  of  these  societies  is  to  heal  the  sick  and 
produce  rain.  They  meet  in  different  houses  in  the  large 
ground-floor  living  rooms,  the  walls  of  which  are  symboli- 
cally decorated  with  animal  paintings.  Reproductions  of 
the  painted  walls  of  two  of  these  fraternities  are  shown  in 
these  cases.  Each  society  has  one  or  more  shrines  on  the 
mountains  near  the  town,  and  prayer  sticks,  made  by  the 
members  at  their  various  festivals,  are  deposited  in  them. 

Tools,  dies  and  materials  used  in  Zuni  silver  working  are 
shown  in  a  case  opposite  the  portrait  of  Mr.  Cushing  in  the 
middle  of  the  south  wall.  This  is  a  comparatively  recent 
art  learned  from  the  Mexican  Indians  or  from  the  Navajo. 
The  tools  exhibited  belong  to  the  Zuni  smith,  Lanyati,  who 
learned  the  art  from  a  Navajo  Indian.  An  exhibit  of  Navajo 
silverwork  is  shown  in  a  case  on  the  south  side  of  the  hall 
immediately  opposite  and  forms  an  interesting  comparison. 
Proceeding  down  the  hall,  dolls  and  musical  instruments 
are  the  important  features  of  the  cases  next  following. 

Zuni  dolls  are  made  to  represent  the  variously  grouped 
and  masked  personators  of  the  gods  in  the  religious  cere- 
monies, and  are  presented  by  the  dancers  to  the  girl  chil- 
dren among  the  spectators,  the  idea  being  to  impart  re- 
ligious instruction.  The  dolls  exhibited  represent  the  entire 
range  of  Zunian  mythology. 

The  principal  musical  instruments  of  the  Zuni  are  flutes, 
rattles  and  drums.  Two  kinds  of  flutes,  with  and  without 
holes,  are  used,  the  latter  only  as  dance  flutes.  Rattles  are 
of  seven  kinds,  gourd,  shell,  deer  hoof,  duck,  tortoise  shell, 

217 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

bangle  and  deer  bone.  Gourd  rattles  are  used  in  all  dances 
and  the  others  on  specific  occasions.  Drums  are  of  three 
kinds,  jar  drums,  wooden  and  sheepskin  drums.  Examples 
of  each  are  exhibited. 

Turquoise  pebbles  and  beads  and  other  ornaments  in 
which  turquoise  is  used  are  shown  in  an  adjacent  case,  fol- 
lowed by  an  exhibit  of  stone  implements,  pottery  paint, 
implements  for  making  shell  beads,  samples  of  corn  and 
other  food  seeds  and  implements  used  in  games.  Games 
are  important  in  the  life  of  the  Zuni,  and,  like  most  of  their 
occupations,  are  sacred.  Their  four  principal  games,  two 
chance  games  with  dice  and  two  guessing  games,  are  sacred 
to  the  Twin  War  Gods,  and  the  implements  used  in  them 
are  annually  sacrificed  on  their  shrines.  The  principal 
athletic  game  is  the  kicking  billet.  Quoits  were  also  used, 
derived  from  the  Spaniards. 

Zuni  decorated  pottery,  shown  in  the  next  case,  is  made 
only  by  the  women  in  summer.  The  method  of  making  it 
is  outlined  in  the  attached  labels. 

Fetiches  and  charms  mainly  compose  the  next  exhibit. 
Small  images  of  stone  and  shell  in  the  form  of  animals  and 
called  wemawe,  or  "prey  gods,"  were  made  by  the  Zuni 
and  treasured  as  charms.  Naturally  occurring  concretions 
or  petrifactions  were  especially  valued  and  believed  to  have 
magic  power.  The  six  regions  of  the  world  were  supposed 
each  to  be  guarded  by  a  presiding  animal,  and  the  animal 
fetiches  kept  by  the  priests  were  valued  as  mediums  be- 
tween them  and  the  creatures  represented. 

218 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

Prayer  sticks,  images,  parts  of  an  altar  and  other  objects 
from  the  Chukati  shrine,  an  old  cave  shrine  of  the  Little 
Fire  Society,  together  with  sacrificial  war  clubs,  miniature 
pottery  vessels  and  other  objects  taken  from  shrines,  are 
shown  in  the  succeeding  cases.  The  last  case  on  this  side 
of  the  hall  contains  exhibits  of  Zuni  basketry,  cooking  and 
other  implements,  plume  boxes  and  household  articles. 

A  model  of  the  pueblo  of  Acoma,  a  town  of  the  Keres 
Indians  in  New  Mexico,  and  the  oldest  inhabited  settle- 
ment in  the  United  States,  is  exhibited  at  this  end  of  the 
hall,  and  on  the  other  side  of  the  hall  is  a  model  of  the 
Tewa  village  of  Hano.  Other  exhibits  from  the  Keres  and 
Tewa  Indians  will  be  found  in  Room  3. 

The  remaining  exhibits  in  Room  4  are  derived  from  the 
Hopi,  Apache,  Navajo  and  prehistoric  cliff-dwelling  Indians. 

Those  from  the  Hopi,  whose  seven  towns  are  located 
within  the  Navajo  Reservation  in  Arizona,  are  at  the  west 
end  of  the  hall  and  consist  principally  of  masks,  dolls  and 
implements  for  games,  similar  to  those  of  the  Zuni,  also 
blankets  and  wearing  apparel,  in  the  weaving,  dyeing  and 
embroidering  of  which  the  Hopi  are  particularly  skilled. 

Fragments  of  ancient  Hopi  masks  and  pottery  found  in 
a  case  of  the  Canon  de  Chelly  are  of  special  interest  as 
showing  that  it  was  once  occupied  by  one  of  the  Hopi  clans. 

A  very  large  and  important  collection,  from  the  prehis- 
toric cliff-dwelling  Indians  of  the  Canon  de  Chelly,  occupies 
the  greater  number  of  the  cases  on  the  north  side  of  the 
hall,  as  well  as  all  the  shallow  cases  on  the  north  wall. 

219 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

This  canon,  well  known  for  its  cliff  ruins,  is  in  the  heart  of 
the  ancient  pueblo  region  in  the  present  Navajo  Indian 
Reservation  in  northern  Arizona.  Its  vertical  sides  of  red 
sandstone,  in  some  places  more  than  800  feet  high,  with 
natural  recesses  in  the  rocks  and  with  small  cultivable 
areas  at  the  bottom,  made  it  a  natural  residential  strong- 
hold for  the  Indians,  who  built  their  houses  high  up  in  the 
caves.  The  first  settlements  there  are  very  old,  the  last 
quite  recent,  and  it  is  uncertain  whether  the  occupancy  of 
the  cliffs  began  500  or  5,000  years  ago.  The  dry  climate 
has  preserved  the  remains  of  the  cliff-dwellers  extremely 
well,  and  they  throw  interesting  light  upon  the  life  and  cus- 
toms of  the  Indians  before  the  time  of  foreign  contact.  A 
large  collection  of  cliff-dweller  pottery  is  exhibited,  the 
cooking  pots  and  storage  jars  being  of  simple  coiled  ware 
left  unsmoothed  and  showing  in  their  structure  the  method 
of  manufacture,  the  finer  kinds  of  pottery  being  smooth 
and  decorated.  The  stone  and  bone  implements  used  by 
the  cliff-dwellers  who  lived  in  a  Stone  Age,  their  basketry 
and  weaving  and  the  raw  materials  used  for  these  are  ex- 
hibited, as  well  as  human  remains,  excavated  from  graves, 
wrapped  in  yucca  cord  blankets  and  covered  with  baskets. 
Remains  of  domestic  turkeys  and  eagles,  the  latter  kept  for 
their  feathers,  are  also  shown.  This  fine  collection  and  the 
mass  of  illustrative  material  accompanying  it  make  possible 
a  comprehensive  study  of  the  life  of  the  primitive  Indian. 
The  remaining  cases  on  the  north  side  of  the  hall  are 
devoted  to  collections  from  the  Navajo  and  Apache.   These 

220 


ZUNI,   APACHE    AND    NAVAJO    INDIAN    SPECIMENS 

221 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

peoples  did  not  live  in  towns  like  the  Zuni  and  Hopi,  but 
in  scattered  dwellings,  and  are  comparatively  late  comers 
to  this  region.  A  set  of  masks  used  in  the  ebichai,  or 
"Dance  of  the  Giants,"  is  shown  in  the  case  at  the  extreme 
northwest  corner  of  the  hall.  A  life-size  model  of  a  Navajo 
medicine  man  in  native  costume,  with  his  medicine  bags 
beside  him  and  a  "bull-roarer"  in  his  hand,  is  shown  oppo- 
site the  entrance  at  this  end  of  the  hall.  The  contents  of  a 
medicine  bag  and  a  collection  of  objects  used  in  the  healing 
ceremonies  are  shown  in  a  near-by  case. 

A  collection  of  objects  found  with  the  remains  of  a  band 
of  Navajo  killed  in  the  Canon  del  Muerto,  or  "Canon  of 
the  Dead,"  dates  from  about  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury. This  canon  is  a  branch  of  the  Canon  de  Chelly,  and 
its  name  is  derived  from  the  number  of  bodies  of  ancient 
peoples  found  interred  there.  Pottery,  weapons,  games, 
spindles,  arrows  and  utensils  are  comprised  in  this  exhibit. 

The  collection  from  the  Apache  Indians  consists  of  im- 
plements for  games,  dance  masks,  weapons  and  basketry. 
These  Indians  are  skilled  in  the  latter  art  and  trade  their 
products  with  other  tribes. 

In  addition  to  the  collections  already  mentioned,  the  north 
side  of  the  hall  at  its  eastern  end  exhibits  a  model  of  a 
triple-walled  town  near  McElino  Canon,  Colorado,  and 
small  cases  at  intervals  down  this  side  of  the  hall  exhibit 
pottery  from  cliff  and  pueblo  dwellers  of  Colorado  and 
Utah,  relics  from  prehistoric  Indians  of  Arizona  and  from 
the  Mohave,  Papago  and  Maricopa  Indians. 

222 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

The  mural  paintings  in  this  hall  give  a  panoramic  view 
of  the  regions  from  which  the  collections  came. 

The  collections  from  the  Indians  of  the  Rio  Grande 
pueblos,  exhibited  in  Room  3,  are  from  the  Keres,  Tigua, 
Jemez  and  Tewa  Indians.  These  collections  follow  imme- 
diately those  in  Room  4  and  complete  the  series  of  exhibits 
from  the  southwestern  tribes. 

Laguna  is  the  most  recent  of  the  new  Mexican  pueblos, 
and  its  inhabitants  are  of  mixed  origin.  An  impression  of 
its  appearance  is  given  by  various  color  sketches. 

A  collection  of  prehistoric  pottery  and  other  antiquities 
from  Arizona  is  also  included  in  this  hall. 

Maps,  color  sketches  and  other  illustrated  material  are 
provided  as  in  Room  4,  and  the  mural  paintings  are  land- 
scapes representing  the  territory. 

In  the  central  floor  space  at  the  left  or  southern  end  of 
the  room  are  two  models,  one  of  the  panther  statue  and 
enclosure  of  the  Keres  Indians  near  Cochiti,  New  Mexico. 
Two  life-size  images  of  panthers  lie  in  a  stone  enclosure 
near  a  ruined  pueblo.  These  are  the  largest  images  known 
to  have  been  executed  by  pueblo  Indians,  and  nothing  simi- 
lar to  them  and  their  enclosure  has  been  discovered  any- 
where in  the  Southwest  outside  of  the  territory  of  the  Keres. 
The  images  are  fetiches  of  the  esoteric  group  of  the  hunt- 
ers. The  other  model  represents  the  pueblo  of  Taos,  New 
Mexico,  the  ancient  home  of  the  Tigua  Indians,  located  on 
the  Taos  River  about  fifty-two  miles  northeast  of  Santa  Fe. 
It  was  first  visited  by  the  Spaniards  in  1540. 

223 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

An  exhibit  of  pottery  from  the  prehistorie  Indians  of 
Arizona  occupies  a  case  at  the  left  of  these  models,  and  at 
the  right  objects  from  the  Keres  Indians  of  Laguna  include 
masks,  moccasins,  stone  implements  and  fetiches. 

On  the  right  side  of  the  hall  the  center  floor  cases  exhibit 
pottery  of  the  Tewa,  Keres  and  Tigua  Indians,  to  the  left 
of  which  is  a  collection  of  pottery  and  antiques  excavated 
from  prehistoric  Indian  graves  near  Fort  Defiance,  Ari- 
zona. This  pottery  is  the  ordinary  domestic  ware,  very  sim- 
ilar to  that  found  in  the  Canon  de  Chelly.  Much  of  it  is 
decorated,  and  the  cooking  pots  were  made  by  the  coil 
process.  With  the  skeletons  were  found  bone  awls,  or- 
naments, paint  and  other  objects,  among  which  a  prehistoric 
copper  bell  and  a  decorated  clay  pipe  are  especially  inter- 
esting. 

The  case  on  the  east  wall  at  this  end  of  the  hall  con- 
tains prayer  sticks,  stone  implements  and  other  exhibits 
from  the  Jemez  Indians  of  New  Mexico,  and  in  the  same 
case  are  games,  implements,  fetiches  and  shrine  offerings 
from  the  Keres.  Games  of  the  Tewa  Indians  are  also  shown 
here.  Miscellaneous  objects  from  the  Keres  Indians  find 
a  place  on  the  shelves  above. 

The  California  Indian  Hall  (Room  1  on  plan)  is  entered 
from  Room  3  from  the  west,  and  contains  collections  from 
five  different  tribal  groups.  These  are  the  Porno  Indians 
of  Mendocino  and  Lake  Counties,  the  Maidu  of  Plumas 
County,  the  Hupa  Valley  and  Klamath  River  Indians  of 
Humboldt  County,  the  Mono  of  Madeira  County  and  sev- 

224 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

eral  tribes  of  the  Mariposan  linguistic  stock  in  Fresno, 
Tulare,  Kern,  Mariposa  and  King  Counties,  California. 

The  exhibits  from  the  Maidu  occupy  three  cases  at  the 
left  or  south  side  of  the  hall  and  comprise  basketry,  games, 
dance-  accoutrements,  ornaments  and  other  objects. 

The  most  important  collection  in  this  hall  is  that  from 
the  Porno  Indians  of  Clear  Lake,  which  occupies  the  re- 
maining cases  on  the  south  side  and  some  of  those  on  the 
north  side  of  the  hall.  Basketry,  textiles,  tools  and  ma- 
terials used  in  native  manufactures,  implements,  costumes, 
games  and  beadwork  are  shown.  An  interesting  part  of 
this  exhibit  is  a  set  of  doctor's  paraphernalia,  containing 
specimens  of  dried  mud  puppy,  coyotes'  feet,  medicine 
stones  and  other  native  remedies. 

An  ancient  duck-shaped  boat  of  the  Porno  is  exhibited, 
and  an  immense  Porno  acorn  storage  basket,  with  scaffold 
and  ladder  to  reach  the  top,  is  at  the  west  end  of  the  hall. 
Acorns  formed  the  principal  article  of  diet  of  these  Indians, 
and  many  of  their  stone  implements  are  designed  for  crush- 
ing and  cracking  them. 

The  exhibits  from  the  Miwok,  Mono,  Hupa,  Yokut  and 
Klamath  Indians  on  the  north  side  of  this  hall  are  of  the 
same  general  type  as  those  from  the  Maidu  and  Porno.  A 
sweat-house  ladder  of  the  Hupa  Indians,  used  for  descend- 
ing into  the  small  underground  chambers  for  the  steam 
bath,  is  shown  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  room.  Bas- 
kets for  the  Indian  game  of  basket-ball  are  shown  in  the 
case  devoted  to  the  Miwok  Indians.    The  mural  paintings 

225 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

in  this  hall  represent  a  view  on  the  shores  of  Clear  Lake, 
one  of  the  ancient  homes  of  the  Porno  Indians,  some  of 
whom  still  reside  in  the  vicinity. 

Collections  from  the  Indians  of  the  Northwest  Coast 
contained  in  Room  2,  entered  from  Room  1  from  the  south, 
are  derived  from  the  Haida  Indians  of  Queen  Charlotte 
Islands,  the  Kwakiutl  and  other  tribes  of  the  Wakashan 
linguistic  family  of  Vancouver  Island  and  the  coast  of 
Washington  and  the  Salish  Indians  of  the  Fraser  River  re- 
gion in  British  Columbia. 

Exhibits  from  the  Kwakiutl  include  four  large  carved  and 
unpainted  house  posts,  shown  on  the  east  and  south  walls 
of  this  room,  from  an  old  Kwakiutl  house  at  Alert  Bay, 
Vancouver  Island. 

Two  other  house  posts  of  the  Kwakiutl  are  shown  at  the 
west  end  of  the  hall,  and  a  carved  memorial  figure,  also 
from  the  Kwakiutl,  representing  the  "Speaker"  at  a  cere- 
monial feast,  is  exhibited  near  the  entry  on  the  north  side. 
Other  exhibits  from  the  Kwakiutl  and  tribes  of  the  same 
linguistic  family  are  shown  at  the  east  end  of  the  hall 
and  include  basketry  and  weaving  materials,  games,  house- 
hold utensils,  ceremonial  food  dishes  inlaid  with  opercula, 
and  other  objects. 

Exhibits  from  the  Haida  Indians  include  a  series  of 
models  of  Haida  houses,  copies  from  actual  houses  in  the 
village  of  Masset,  Queen  Charlotte  Islands,  ranged  around 
the  walls  on  an  upper  shelf.  These  houses  each  have  a 
tall  carved  totem  pole  in  front  of  them,  and  the  actual 

226 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

totem  pole  which  may  be  seen  in  the  elevator  shaft,  at  the 
end  of  Room  3,  was  taken  from  the  same  village. 

The  mural  paintings  in  this  hall  represent  the  village  of 
Masset  and  show  a  series  of  these  Haida  houses  ranged 
along  the  banks  of  a  lake. 

The  case  of  exhibits  from  the  Haida  on  the  southwest 
wall  contains  painted  basketry,  hats,  carved  and  painted 
wooden  helmets,  food  dishes,  carved  spoon,  stone,  slate  and 
wooden  dishes  for  grease  and  berries,  basketry  mats  and 
other  objects. 

From  the  Salish  Indians,  basketry,  implements  and  ma- 
terials used  in  its  manufacture,  beads,  utensils,  dried  roots 
and  fruits,  stone  and  wooden  tools  and  other  objects  are 
shown  in  a  case  on  the  north  wall.  Maps,  color  sketches, 
prints  and  other  illustrated  material  on  the  walls  and  in  the 
cases  supplement  the  impression  made  by  the  exhibits. 


227 


10 
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Central  Section 

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West  Win^ 

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SECOND  FLOOR 


Ascending  to  the  second  floor,  the  visitor  passes  exhibits 
of  fabrics,  musical  instruments  and  other  objects  from  East 
India.  The  entrance  to  the  Natural  History  Collections  is 
flanked  on  either  side  by  the  bronzes,  by  Carl  E.  Akeley,  of 
an  African  elephant  group  and  a  lion  and  buffalo. 

The  room  directly  at  the  left  from  the  elevator  (Room  5 
on  plan)  forms  the  best  point  of  departure  for  a  study  of 
these  collections.  It  contains  exhibits  illustrating  the  Evo- 
lution, Distribution  and  Preservation  of  animals,  designed 
to  indicate  the  manner  in  which  new  types  and  species  have 
come  into  existence;  various  ways  in  which  animals  may 
become  adapted  to  environment,  and  how  the  present  dis- 
tribution of  animals  has  been  brought  about.  The  latter 
point  is  illustrated  by  maps  on  either  side  of  this  room,  as 
one  enters,  and  over  the  doorway  inside,  showing  the  ex- 
tent and  relations  to  one  another  of  the  continental  areas 
at  different  epochs  of  the  world's  history,  and  the  zoological 
regions  of  the  world  as  they  are  to-day,  thus  indicating  how 
animals  in  the  past  have  been  able  to  travel  by  land  be- 
tween regionsnow  separated  by  sea. 

228 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

Portraits  of  Darwin  and  Huxley,  the  men  most  promi- 
nently associated  with  the  theories  of  evolution  and  survival 
of  the  fittest,  are  placed  in  the  entry  of  this  room.  On  the 
left  an  exhibit  dealing  with  man's  place  in  nature  show-, 
by  comparison  of  human  skulls  with  those  of  other  mem- 
bers of  the  Order  Primates  and  by  models  of  brains  and 
casts,  how  man  differs  from  and  approximates  other  species 
of  his  order,  and,  by  comparison  of  skulls  of  different  races 
of  mankind,  how  man  varies  within  his  own  species. 

On  either  side  of  the  entry  are  exhibits  showing  on  the 
one  hand  Protective  Coloration  in  insects,  by  examples 
whose  color  and  markings  blend  with  their  natural  sur- 
roundings, and  on  the  other  Mimicry  of  harmful  by  harm- 
less insects  for  protection. 

What  may  be  termed  a  refinement  of  protective  colora- 
tion is  shown  in  an  exhibit  immediately  opposite  the  en- 
trance, illustrating  obliterative  shading.  This  shows  a  flock 
of  birds,  some  of  which,  though  identical  with  the  back- 
ground in  color  and  markings,  stand  out  from  it  clearly 
because  of  the  effects  of  natural  light  and  shadow,  and 
others,  which,  though  unlike  the  background,  are  shaded 
so  as  to  counteract  these  effects  and  are  less  noticeable. 

Above  this  exhibit  is  shown  a  mounted  skunk  in  its  en- 
vironment, to  illustrate  ruptive  coloration,  or  the  way  in 
which  contrasted  marking  of  an  animal  may  break  up  its 
outline  and  render  it  less  distinguishable. 

Variation  Within  the  Species  constituted  the  starting 
point  for  the  production  of  new  species,  and  on  the  west 

229 


^ 


%•■♦■ 


230 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

wall  of  this  room  is  an  exhibit  illustrating  the  variation  in 
nature  which  may  be  brought  about  by  different  conditions. 

Variation  with  Sex  or  Season  is  shown  by  a  group  of 
ruffs,  and  a  fine  series  of  great  horned  owls,  representing  a 
wide  area,  illustrates  well  the  varieties  that  may  occur  in 
one  species  with  varied  geographic  range. 

Variation  Under  Domestication  is  illustrated  by  an  ex- 
hibit on  the  east  wall,  showing  the  domesticated  fowl  as 
evolved  from  the  jungle  fowl  of  India,  and  on  the  same  side 
of  the  room  the  various  means  by  which  different  animals 
have  been  able  to  survive  in  the  struggle  for  existence,  e.g., 
by  endurance,  numbers,  armor,  concealment  and  warning  or 
protective  coloration,  are  indicated. 

Albinism,  Melanism  and  other  color  phases  of  animals 
are  shown  in  the  passage  to  the  east  of  this  room;  and, 
opposite  these,  Adaptation  to  Environment  is  well  illus- 
trated by  the  snowy  arctic  owl,  desert  and  cave  animals  and, 
around  the  corner  in  the  next  hall,  by  color  changes  in  the 
demon  stinger  fish. 

The  Hall  of  Vertebrates  (Room  4  on  plan),  leading  out 
of  Room  5  toward  the  west,  contains  exhibits  of  all  the 
important  groups  of  backboned  animals  from  fish  to  man, 
arranged  so  that,  by  passing  up  the  left  or  south  side  of  the 
room  and  down  the  right  or  north  side,  the  animals  are 
considered  in  evolutionary  sequence;  also  each  group  or 
series  is  arranged  so  that  the  lower  or  simpler  forms  ap- 
pear at  the  left,  and  therefore  the  exhibits  should  be  studied 
from  left  to  right. 

231 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

The  first  floor  case  on  the  left  contains  an  introductory 
series  of  fishes,  preceded  by  the  lancelets,  the  lowest  of  the 
backboned  animals,  having  neither  skull,  jaws  nor  brain 
and  in  which  the  skeleton  is  represented  only  by  a  slender 
longitudinal  cord.  The  hagfish,  lamprey  and  other  inter- 
mediate types  are  also  shown,  and,  on  the  right,  examples 
of  a  typical  bony  fish,  showing  skeletal  characteristics,  and 
a  model  of  the  anatomy. 

Various  tropical  fishes  are  exhibited  on  the  other  side  of 
this  case,  and,  in  cases  behind  and  in  front  of  it,  going  up 
the  hall,  examples  of  the  various  orders  of  fishes  are 
shown,  together  with  models  of  many  of  their  extinct  rela- 
tives. A  diagram,  on  the  right-hand  end  of  the  first  upright 
floor  case,  shows  the  various  deep-sea  fishes  and  the  depths 
at  which  they  live.  Models  of  deep-sea  fishes  are  shown  in 
a  near-by  case;  the  phosphorescent  organs  possessed  by 
some  species  are  their  most  striking  characteristics. 

A  model  of  the  great  white  shark,  or  man-eater,  is  ex- 
hibited on  the  north  wall,  and  plates  from  the  United  States 
Fish  Commission  series,  representing  the  important  food 
and  game  fishes  of  North  America,  are  also  shown. 

Following  the  fishes,  the  amphibians,  intermediate  be- 
tween water  and  land  animals,  are  exhibited  in  the  next 
floor  case,  and  here  an  enlarged  model  of  the  frog's  anat- 
omy, with  skeleton,  indicates  the  main  structural  differ- 
ences involved  in  the  change  of  conditions.  Salamanders, 
toads  and  other  representative  amphibians  are  here  exhib- 
ited, and,  on  the  other  side  of  the  same  case,  a  mounted 

232 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

American  alligator  and  skull  of  a  crocodile  assist  in  mak- 
ing clear  the  difference  between  crocodiles  and  alligator^ 
emphasized  elsewhere. 

Facing  these,  on  the  north  wall,  is  an  exhibit  illustrating 
the  characteristics  of  the  Class  Reptilia,  which,  with  many 
descriptive  labels,  provides  the  visitor  with  a  comprehen- 
sive view  of  general  and  special  points  of  structure  of  this 
class  of  animals. 

On  the  wall  behind  this  exhibit  are  maps  showing  the 
distribution  of  dangerous  snakes  and  of  amphibians,  and  a 
painting  at  the  side  shows  the  color  changes  of  the  common 
chameleon. 

Proceeding  up  the  hall,  exhibits  of  crocodiles,  snakes  and 
lizards,  including  the  more  important  and  interesting  types 
of  these  animals,  among  which  may  be  mentioned  the  rare 
tuatara  from  New  Zealand,  a  primitive  lizard-like  reptile 
belonging  to  an  order  of  which  every  other  family  is  now 
extinct.  Models  of  the  extinct  Plesiosaurus,  a  marine  rep- 
tile with  crocodilian  characteristics,  of  the  Stegosaurus,  an 
extinct  armored  dinosaur  of  the  Jurassic  period,  and  of  an 
Ichthyosaur,  a  fish-like  lizard  representing  a  group  of  rep- 
tiles abundant  in  Triassic  times,  help  to  relate  the  existing 
species  of  reptiles  with  those  of  ages  of  the  past.  The 
Ichthyosaurs  were  adapted  to  life  in  the  sea,  having  four 
paddles  and  a  powerful  tail  for  swimming. 

Typical  examples  of  harmless  and  poisonous  snakes  are 
shown  and  the  lizards  are  especially  well  represented;  a 
study  collection  of  these  is  available  for  students  and  in- 

233 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

eludes  many  species  of  snakes,  lizards,  iguana,  horned  toad, 
running  lizards,  blue  and  green  lizards  of  Europe  and  the 
skink  of  Egypt,  as  well  as  the  Congo  monitor,  the  Gila  mon- 
ster and  others. 

A  representative  collection  of  land  and  fresh-water  tur- 
tles, with  skeletons,  models  and  maps  of  distribution,  ap- 
pears next.  The  specimens  include  the  rare  matamata  of 
South  America,  giant  tortoise  of  the  Galapagos  Islands  and 
examples  of  the  leather-back,  hawksbill  and  other  impor- 
tant turtles.  A  pictorial  representation  shows  the  extinct 
giant  sea  turtle  found  in  the  Cretaceous  deposits  of  South 
Dakota.  In  all  these  exhibits  the  inclusion  of  skeletons 
with  the  mounted  specimens  makes  possible  a  clearer  un- 
derstanding of  the  animals  under  consideration. 

Birds,  following  the  reptiles  in  order  of  evolution,  follow 
them  also  in  order  of  exhibition,  and  on  the  north  wall  at 
this  point  appears  a  reproduction  of  the  reptile-like  extinct 
bird  Archceopteryx,  whose  fossil  remains  in  the  Solenhofen 
slates  have  proved  so  important  a  link  between  reptilian 
and  avian  types. 

The  synoptic  series  of  birds  follows,  and  the  case  at  the 
right  contains  the  large  ostrich-like  birds,  including  the 
ostrich,  cassowary,  rhea  and  emu,  the  rare  and  almost  ex- 
tinct Apteryx  of  New  Zealand  and  the  tinamou  of  South 
America,  the  latter  interesting  because  it  seems  to  provide 
a  connecting  link  between  the  ostrich-like  birds  and  birds  in 
general.  Hawks,  gulls,  loons,  penguins  and  other  birds 
shown  in  this  case  form  an  interesting  introductory  exhibit. 

234 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

The  cranes  and  curlews,  ducks  and  geese  and  their  re- 
lated families  are  next  seen,  followed  by  the  pelicans,  cor- 
morants, bitterns,  herons,  storks  and  ibises,  and  in  a  floor 
case  is  a  group  of  king  penguins  from  Kerguelen  Island  in 
the  Indian  Ocean.  There  are  seventeen  living  species  of 
these  birds,  of  which  the  emperor  penguin  is  the  largest. 
They  are  incapable  of  flight,  awkward  on  land  but  at  home 
in  the  water. 

On  the  north  wall  at  this  point,  a  deer  skeleton  finds  a 
place,  for  lack  of  convenient  space  elsewhere,  following 
which  the  birds  of  prey  and  those  of  the  pheasant  and 
pigeon  families  occupy  the  floor  cases.  Here  the  curious 
nesting  habits  of  the  greater  hornbill  of  India  are  indicated. 

To  the  right  of  this  case  are  the  woodpeckers,  kingfishers 
and  parrots,  a  portion  of  a  tree  trunk  inset  with  acorns  by 
the  California  woodpecker,  and  the  curious  wing  coloration 
of  the  African  plantain-eater,  which  washes  out  with  rain, 
being  especially  interesting  items. 

The  floor  case  opposite  this  exhibit  contains  the  peacock, 
a  native  of  India,  and  the  Argus  and  other  pheasants. 

The  perching  birds  (Order  Passeres)  are  exhibited  in 
cases  to  the  west  and  south.  This,  by  far  the  largest  order 
of  existing  birds,  contains  several  thousand  species,  ranging 
from  the  small  and  modest  wren  to  the  gorgeous  birds  of 
paradise.  The  lyre-bird  of  New  South  Wales,  the  rare 
Peruvian  cock-of-the-rock  and  many  brilliant  and  interest- 
ing specimens  from  India,  China,  South  America  and  else- 
where provide  material  for  a  comprehensive  purview  of  the 

235 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

order;  the  birds  of  paradise,  twelve  species,  are  placed  in  a 
separate  case  on  the  west  wall.  Nests  of  South  American 
birds,  showing  colonies  and  various  styles  of  bird  architec- 
ture, are  exhibited. 

(On  the  other  side  of  the  vertebrate  hall  are  the  marsupials 
and  other  mammals  up  to  man.  It  is  well,  however,  to  visit  first 
the  exhibit  of  birds  of  Long  Island,  contained  in  Room  1  on  this 
floor,  and  the  exhibit  of  animals  of  Long  Island  in  Room  3  ad- 
joining.) 

The  birds  of  Long  Island  are  arranged  in  a  series  of 
cases  and  habitat  groups  around  the  walls  of  Room  1,  and 
the  aim  of  this  collection  and  that  in  the  adjoining  room  is 
to  present  eventually  a  complete  series  of  the  vertebrate 
fauna  of  this  area.  The  bird  collection  is  well  on  the  way 
to  completion  and  contains  many  forms  notable  because  of 
their  rarity.  Among  the  habitat  groups,  that  of  the  marsh 
hawk,  a  small  bird  feeding  mainly  on  frogs,  snakes  and 
small  animals,  and  that  of  the  black-backed  gull,  a  sea-coast 
breeder  of  the  north  but  found  in  the  autumn  as  far  south 
as  Virginia,  are  notably  interesting.  Pictorial  representa- 
tions of  the  heath  hen,  Labrador  duck  and  great  auk,  birds 
of  Long  Island  which  have  become  extinct  during  the  last 
century,  are  shown  on  the  west  wall  of  this  room. 

The  mural  paintings  on  the  walls  of  this  room  represent 
typical  shore  and  inland  scenery  of  Long  Island  and  help 
materially  to  relate  the  bird  exhibits  with  their  habitats. 

Many  of  the  perching  birds  of  Long  Island  are  exhibited 
in  the  corridor  between  Rooms  1  and  3,  and  here  also  a 
large  map  of  the  island,  colored  to  represent  contour  and 

236 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

geological  formations,  may  be  seen.  Over  the  entry  be- 
tween Rooms  2  and  3  is  a  model  of  the  common  porpoise. 

The  animals  of  Long  Island,  exhibited  in  Room  3,  include 
mammals,  insects  and  mollusks,  fishes  and  reptiles  being  as 
yet  unrepresented  here. 

A  series  of  small  mammals,  including  squirrel  wood- 
chuck,  opossum,  rabbit,  skunk,  weasel  and  other  well- 
known  forms,  occupies  a  case  on  the  west  wall.  A  mounted 
specimen  of  the  white-tailed  Virginia  deer  is  seen  in  the 
center  floor  case,  north  of  which  is  a  small  habitat  group  of 
chipmunks,  which  completes  the  mammal  exhibit. 

Under  the  window  a  meadow-lark  is  shown  with  nest  and 
young,  on  either  side  of  which  two  cabinet  cases  contain 
respectively  the  butterflies  and  moths  and  the  beetles  of 
Long  Island. 

Exhibits  illustrating  the  life  histories  of  North  American 
butterflies  and  moths,  showing  the  various  stages  through 
which  a  moth  or  butterfly  passes  from  egg  to  adult,  together 
with  its  principal  food  plants  and  enemies,  are  shown  at  the 
other  end  of  this  room  on  the  east  and  west  walls. 

On  the  west  wall  an  exhibit  of  the  brown-tailed  and  gypsy 
moths,  showing  the  destruction  caused  by  them,  is  intended 
to  enable  the  public  to  recognize  these  pests. 

The  salt-water,  fresh-water  and  land  shells  of  Long  Island 
are  exhibited  in  two  large  cases  in  the  center  of  this  room. 

Returning  to  the  Vertebrate  Hall,  the  systematic  scries  of 
mammals  follows  the  exhibit  of  perching  birds,  beginning 
with  the  large  case  on  the  left  (northwest)  side  of  the  hall, 

237 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

containing  the  monotremes  and  marsupials.  Examples  of 
all  living  families  of  each  are  exhibited. 

The  Monotremata,  the  lowest  order  of  mammals,  possess 
both  reptilian  and  bird-like  characteristics.  Two  living  rep- 
resentatives are  known,  both  nearly  extinct:  the  Echidna, 
a  spiny,  egg-laying  mammal,  and  the  duck-billed  Platypus, 
a  beaked  creature  living  in  burrows.  Examples  of  each  are 
exhibited,  as  well  as  an  egg  of  the  Echidna,  and  a  skeleton 
of  the  same  showing  the  reptilian  characters. 

The  Marsupialia,  pouched  mammals,  are  represented  by 
the  opossum,  the  rare  mole  marsupial  of  South  Australia, 
and  the  Tasmanian  "wolf,"  or  Thylacine,  in  reality  not  a 
wolf  but  a  distant  relative  of  the  opossum.  This  powerful 
creature,  once  abundant  in  Tasmania,  has  been  hunted,  on 
account  of  its  sheep-killing  proclivities,  until  it  is  nearly 
extinct. 

Other  marsupials  shown  are  the  bandicoot,  hare  wallaby, 
Bennett's  wallaby,  Venezuelan  woolly  opossum,  carrying  its 
young  on  its  back,  the  banded  anteater,  the  flying,  common 
and  spotted  phalangers  and  the  red  and  gray  kangaroos. 
The  skeleton  of  a  kangaroo  (skull  and  pelvis)  and  a  model 
of  the  brain,  showing  its  small  size  and  smoothness,  to- 
gether with  detailed  labels  giving  characteristics  of  the 
Order  Marsupialia,  complete  this  introduction  to  the  mam- 
malian series. 

Proceeding  along  the  left  side  of  the  hall,  the  Order 
Edentata  next  appears:  mammals  either  toothless  or  with- 
out front  teeth.    The  sloths,  anteaters  and  armadillos  are  the 

238 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

principal  existing  forms  of  the  order,  which  is  a  very  old 
one,  at  one  time  numerous  and  comprising  many  gigantic 
forms  now  extinct.  The  great  anteater,  or  antbear,  of 
Brazil,  two  mounted  specimens  and  a  skeleton  of  which  are 
exhibited,  is  one  of  the  largest  of  existing  edentates.  The 
pangolin,  or  scaly  anteater  of  the  Old  World,  with  overlap- 
ping, horny  scales,  the  four-toed  anteater,  the  yellow  taman- 
dua  and  the  three-toed  and  two-toed  sloths  are  shown  here, 
as  well  as  the  six-  and  nine-banded  armadillos  and  the  aard 
vark,  or  antbear,  of  South  Africa. 

In  the  same  case  are  exhibited  the  Rodents  or  gnawing 
animals.  These  comprise  the  largest  order  of  existing 
mammals,  and  there  are  many  different  families  and 
genera.  Among  the  specimens  are  squirrels  and  chip- 
munks, the  South  American  capybara,  largest  of  living 
rodents,  the  paca  of  South  America,  the  pocket  gopher, 
named  from  the  pockets  in  its  cheeks,  the  spermophile, 
muskrat,  porcupine,  the  vischacha  of  South  America,  and 
others. 

On  the  north  wall  at  this  point,  horns  of  the  greater  kudu, 
a  rare  African  antelope,  are  exhibited,  below  which  are 
some  fine  examples  of  scrimshaw  work  on  the  teeth  of 
whales,  an  art  practised  by  sailors  in  the  days  of  whale  fish- 
ing. A  walrus  tusk  in  the  same  case  is  similarly  engraved 
by  Indians  of  the  Northwest  Coast.  On  the  same  wall  just 
beyond  is  an  exhibit  of  tusks  of  the  mammoth,  with  ancient 
figures  of  this  extinct  relative  of  the  elephant,  also  teeth  of 
the  mastodon  and  of  the  modern  elephant. 

239 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

The  model  of  a  skeleton  of  Dinoeeras,  a  large  extinct 
mammal  of  Eocene  times,  related  to  the  rhinoceros,  and  a 
sketch  representing  the  restored  animal  appear  in  a  case 
beneath  the  window,  facing  a  mounted  specimen  of  the  sea 
leopard,  a  large  antarctic  seal. 

The  hoofed  animals,  farther  down  on  the  left,  are  repre- 
sented by  the  Rocky  Mountain  sheep,  the  Spanish  ibex,  a 
fully  grown  llama  from  South  America  with  a  heavy  coat  of 
hair,  a  specimen  of  Grant's  zebra,  the  head  of  an  Alaskan 
caribou  and  a  small  model  of  the  extinct  Irish  elk,  the  larg- 
est of  the  deer  family.  A  model  of  Tinoceras,  related  to  the 
elephant  and  rhinoceros,  is  also  shown  here.  The  habitat 
groups  of  hoofed  animals  are  exhibited  in  the  Central  Hall. 

Proceeding  down  the  hall,  a  complete  giraffe  skeleton 
occupies  a  position  on  the  north  wall,  facing  an  exhibit  of 
Pribilof  foxes  from  the  islands  of  St.  George  and  St.  Paul 
in  Bering  Sea.  These  animals,  usually  known  as  blue  foxes, 
change  their  coats  to  white  in  winter,  in  the  northern  parts 
of  their  range.  Specimens  of  both  colors  are  exhibited,  and 
a  photograph  of  these  animals  at  home  is  shown  on  the 
north  wall  near-by. 

A  series  of  aquatic  mammals,  including  dolphins,  whales, 
seals  and  sea  elephants,  the  latter  a  species  of  earless  seals, 
is  next  exhibited,  and,  related  to  these  exhibits,  the  skeleton 
of  a  manatee  or  sea  cow,  which  appears  above  the  hoofed 
animals  in  the  previous  case,  and  the  skeleton  of  the  sperm 
whale,  suspended  in  the  center  of  the  hall,  should  be  exam- 
ined.   A  map  showing  the  distribution  of  the  sperm  whale 

240 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

is  exhibited  on  the  north  wall,  together  with  an  account  ol 
the  animal.  A  small  model  of  the  sulphurbottom  or  blue 
whale  gives  a  good  idea  of  this  creature,  the  largest  animal 
that  ever  lived. 

The  wolves,  foxes  and  members  of  the  dog  family  occupy 
the  next  case,  represented  by  the  Alaskan  wolf,  arctic  fox. 
Eskimo  dog,  raccoon  dog,  swift  fox  and  a  family  of  timber 
wolves.  A  floor  case  near-by  shows  a  group  of  red  foxes 
and  young  in  their  natural  habitat  and  south  of  these  an- 
other habitat  group  shows  the  common  eastern  skunk  with 
nest  and  young  in  typical  surroundings.  Various  small  car- 
nivorous animals,  including  the  palm  cat  of  Borneo,  civet 
cat,  wolverene,  weasel,  otter,  Himalayan  panda  and  Bra- 
zilian coati-mundi,  appear  in  the  next  large  case,  and  here 
also  raccoons,  black  bear  and  a  skeleton  of  the  polar  bear 
are  shown. 

The  study  of  the  beasts  of  prey  in  the  next  exhibit  is 
made  more  interesting  by  a  pictorial  representation  of  the 
Mesonyx,  a  typical  example  of  the  Creodonts  or  extinct 
primitive  beasts  of  prey  from  which  the  existing  types  have 
been  derived.  Some  rare  specimens  are  exhibited,  includ- 
ing the  clouded  tiger;  ocelot,  or  tiger  cat,  and  the  snow 
leopard,  or  ounce.  The  jaguar  leopard  and  wild  cat  are  also 
exhibited,  and  a  list  of  books  of  reference  may  be  consulted 
on  the  adjacent  wall. 

Insect-eating  mammals  are  particularly  well  represented 
in  the  Museum  by  a  group  in  the  next  floor  case.  The  com- 
mon mole,  which  feeds  upon  underground  insects;  the  star- 

241 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

nosed  mole,  so  called  because  of  the  curious  star-like 
formation  on  the  end  of  its  snout;  the  African  or  golden 
mole,  rare  in  collections;  the  common  shrew;  the  water 
shrew  of  western  Africa,  which  can  swim  and  feeds  upon 
water  beetles  and  crustaceans;  the  squirrel  shrew  of  Asia 
which  feeds  on  insects  and  fruit;  the  African  jumping 
shrew;  the  curious  solenodon,  a  little-known  animal  confined 
to  the  islands  of  Cuba,  Santo  Domingo  and  Haiti;  the  hedge- 
hog of  Europe,  whose  bristly  spines  enable  it  to  turn  into  a 
prickly  ball  in  the  presence  of  danger,  and  the  tenrec,  or 
Madagascar  hedgehog,  complete  a  representative  series  of 
the  Insectivora. 

Members  of  the  bat  family  occupy  other  side  of  case. 

The  lemurs,  in  a  case  to  the  north,  belong  to  the  lowest 
division  of  the  Order  Primates,  which  contains  also  the 
monkeys,  apes  and  man.  The  specimens  shown  include  the 
gray  lemur,  smallest  of  the  true  lemurs,  the  ring-tailed 
lemur,  one  of  the  most  beautiful,  and  the  ruffed  lemur, 
black-headed  lemur,  crown  lemur,  mongoose  lemur  and  the 
aye-aye,  a  rare  relative  of  the  lemurs  which  resembles  a 
squirrel. 

In  the  large  Primate  case,  which  now  faces  the  visitor  at 
the  end  of  the  hall,  may  be  seen  monkeys  of  the  Old  and 
New  Worlds,  the  anthropoid  apes  and  a  model  of  an  aborig- 
inal Australian,  to  represent  man. 

The  monkeys  of  the  New  World,  shown  at  the  left  of  the 
case,  differ  remarkably  from  those  of  the  Old  World,  one 
important  point  of  difference  being  the  prehensile  tails,  by 

242 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

which  the  New  World  monkeys  can  cling  and  climb.  Mar- 
mosets, or  squirrel  monkeys,  howlers,  the  capuchin,  or 
hooded  monkey,  and  others  of  the  New  World  are  shown. 

The  Old  World  monkeys  include  the  rare  Entellus  mon- 
key, one  of  the  sacred  monkeys  of  India,  the  horse-tailed 
monkey  and  the  Abyssinian  baboon.  The  anthropoid  apes 
are  represented  by  the  orang-utan  and  the  chimpanzee. 
The  gorilla  is  depicted  on  the  wall  on  the  left,  accompanied 
by  a  map  showing  the  distribution  of  the  Order  Primates. 

The  Central  Hall,  reached  through  Room  5,  contains  the 
large  animal  groups,  the  eggs  of  North  American  birds  and 
certain  mineralogical  exhibits. 

Immediately  facing  the  entry  from  Room  5  is  a  group  of 
South  Atlantic  petrels,  so  planned  that  the  observer  appears 
to  look  over  the  side  of  a  ship  at  sea  and  watch  the  sea  birds 
skimming  the  water  and  careening  in  the  air  around  the 
boat. 

Facing  this  group,  on  each  side  of  the  entrance,  are  two 
window  groups  of  South  American  birds  and  nests.  One  of 
the  interesting  points  about  the  group  on  the  right,  showing 
a  colony  of  Venezuelan  orioles  or  hang-nests,  is  the  fact 
that  these  birds  seem  always  to  choose  the  vicinity  of  wasps 
for  their  colonies,  and  the  group  shows  the  bird  and  wasp 
nests  pendent  from  the  same  branch.  The  left-hand  group 
shows  a  cave  in  the  mountains  of  Trinidad,  the  home  of  the 
curious  and  rare  guacharo,  or  oil  bird,  whose  nest  is  plas- 
tered against  the  sides  of  the  cave.  The  young  birds  are 
shown  in  every  stage  of  growth.     This  bird  belongs  to  a 

243 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

family  related  to  the  goatsuckers,  but  it  lives  exclusively  on 
fruits,  instead  of  on  insects  as  do  the  true  goatsuckers. 
The  name  "oil  bird"  is  due  to  the  abundant  fat  of  the  young 
birds,  from  which  the  natives  prepare  a  colorless  oil  used 
instead  of  butter. 

Continuing  to  the  left,  a  group  of  beavers  is  exhibited 
next  to  the  petrel  group. 

Eggs  of  North  American  birds  are  seen  in  a  large  case  on 
the  west  wall,  facing  the  beavers,  and  other  cases  of  these 
eggs  are  ranged  at  intervals  around  this  hall.  Above  the 
egg  exhibit  at  this  point,  an  interesting  example  of  the  skin 
of  a  fur  seal  illustrates  the  various  stages  in  the  preparation 
of  the  fur  for  use. 

Still  keeping  to  the  left,  a  large  window  group  showing 
the  birds  of  the  Pribilof  Islands  appears  facing  the  visitor 
on  the  south  wall.  These  rocky  islands  in  Bering  Sea  are 
the  home  of  myriads  of  sea  birds  (murres,  auks,  puffins, 
cormorants,  gulls  and  others)  which  nest  on  the  rocks  or  in 
burrows  among  them.  About  fifty  specimens  (representing 
ten  species)  are  shown  against  a  natural  background  of 
rock  and  sea. 

To  the  right  of  this  group,  over  the  doorway,  are  the 
horns  of  a  Spanish  bull,  South  African  steer  and  South 
American  steer. 

Continuing  to  the  left  around  the  hall,  the  first  large  floor 
group  shows  five  specimens  of  Steller's  sea  lions,  adults  and 
young.  These  creatures  of  the  North  Pacific  belong  to  the 
seal  order,  but  their  skins  are  not  valuable  for  fur. 

244 


BALD   EAGLE 

CAPE    PIGEONS   AND   WHAI  F.    BIRDS 

ADIRONDACK    DF.ER 


245 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

The  next  window  group  on  the  right  shows  adults  and 
young,  nests  and  eggs  of  the  South  American  bird  known  as 
the  hoatzin.  These  birds  live  in  trees  near  the  water,  and 
the  young,  never  the  adults,  seek  the  water  when  pursued 
and  can  dive  and  swim  skilfully.  In  the  young  birds,  the 
wings  are  furnished  with  a  pair  of  claws  and  are  used  as 
legs,  so  that  the  hoatzin  seems  to  some  extent  to  fill  the  gap 
between  existing  birds  and  the  reptile-like  fossil  bird  Ar- 
chceopteryx,  which  also  had  clawed  wings. 

The  group  of  musk-oxen  from  Ellesmere  Land,  consisting 
of  an  old  male,  female  and  a  yearling  male,  in  the  next 
large  case,  shows  the  animals  pawing  away  the  snow  to  dig 
for  dwarf  willows  which  form  their  chief  winter  food.  These 
animals  are  becoming  scarce,  owing  to  their  use  by  arctic 
explorers  as  food  for  dog  teams.  Facing  this  group  a  fine 
old  male  polar  bear  is  seen  in  his  natural  habitat. 

The  Atlantic  walrus  group  shows  an  old  female  and 
young  lying  on  the  ice,  while  the  head  of  a  male  appears 
above  the  water.  These  creatures,  largest  of  the  seal  fam- 
ily, once  lived  in  immense  numbers  on  the  northern  coasts, 
but  have  been  greatly  reduced  by  relentless  hunting  for 
their  oil  and  ivory,  and  in  many  places  exterminated.  The 
flesh,  blubber,  skin,  tusks  and  other  parts  of  the  animal 
provided  the  Eskimo  with  most  of  the  necessities  of  life. 

A  large  window  group,  to  the  right  from  this  point,  shows 
an  arid  desert,  the  habitat  of  the  Gila  monster  of  Arizona 
and  New  Mexico,  with  several  of  these  curious  lizards  bask- 
ing in  the  sun. , 

246 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

An  exhibit  which  shows  a  typical  portion  of  the  Wyan- 
dotte Cave  of  Indiana,  with  the  larger  cave  animals  which 
inhabit  it,  appears  next  on  the  right  wall.  The  comparison 
of  this  exhibit  with  that  in  Room  5,  which  shows  the  ex- 
treme modifications  in  color  and  eye  atrophy,  occurring  as  a 
result  of  continuously  dark  and  limited  environment,  will 
prove  interesting.  (Blindness  or  absence  of  eyes  is  not 
characteristic  of  cave  animals,  except  in  special  cases.) 

Still  keeping  to  the  left  around  the  hall,  a  large  iron 
meteorite  from  Arizona  is  seen  on  the  right,  near  a  small 
model  of  the  American  mastodon  in  a  case  on  the  wall, 
above  which  to  the  right  is  a  mounted  hippopotamus  head. 

The  large  window  case  here  shows  the  golden  eagle  with 
nest  and  young,  and  to  the  left,  flanking  the  entrance  to  the 
eastern  galleries,  are  large  sections  of  fossil  trees  from  the 
National  Forest  Reserve  in  Arizona.  Smaller  sections  of 
these  trees  are  shown  at  the  extreme  left. 

The  skeleton  of  a  full-grown  male  American  mastodon 
occupies  the  central  floor  space  at  this  point. 

A  large  glacial  pot-hole,  formed  in  a  piece  of  rock  in 
Maine  during  the  time  when  that  portion  of  the  continent 
was  in  the  grip  of  the  Ice  Age,  appears  below  the  mastodon 
model  on  the  right,  and  a  mounted  African  eland  is  exhib- 
ited in  an  alcove  near-by.  Around  the  walls  of  this  alcove, 
various  forms  and  uses  of  the  mineral  asbestos  are  shown. 

At  the  left  of  the  hall  at  this  point,  a  striking  group  of 
golden  howler  monkeys  from  South  America  shows  adults 
and  young  in  a  tree-top  habitat. 

247 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

A  special  exhibit  of  birds'  eggs  in  the  floor  case  at  this 
corner  of  the  hall  emphasizes  the  more  important  facts  to 
be  discovered  from  a  study  of  birds'  eggs,  such  as  the  varia- 
tion in  size,  color,  markings,  number  of  eggs  in  a  clutch  and 
relation  between  size  of  bird  and  egg.  The  egg  of  the 
yEpyornis,  the  large  extinct  bird  related  to  the  ostrich,  is 
shown.  This  exhibit  is  intended  to  be  studied  in  connection 
with  the  exhibits  of  eggs  of  North  American  birds  shown  in 
the  series  of  cases  in  this  hall. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  exhibits  in  the  Museum  faces 
the  visitor  at  the  right  (northeast)  corner  of  the  hall  and 
illustrates  the  mechanism  of  flight  in  animals  and  the  differ- 
entiation between  gliding  and  flight  proper.  Skeletons  of 
fore  limbs,  showing  modifications  for  flight,  deviation  from 
the  generalized  type  and  relations  to  the  human  arm,  in- 
clude those  of  monkeys,  opossum,  bat,  ostrich,  pterodactyl 
or  flying  reptile  and  the  reptile-like  bird  Archceopteryx. 

To  the  left,  some  examples  of  reversion  to  type,  as  shown 
by  the  domestic  fowl,  may  be  properly  compared  with  the 
exhibit  in  Room  5,  illustrating  Variation  under  Domestica- 
tion. 

Proceeding  up  the  north  side  of  the  hall,  a  large  group  of 
Rocky  Mountain  goats,  comprising  the  old  male,  two 
females  and  two  young,  is  exhibited  in  the  next  floor  case. 
This  so-called  goat  is  an  antelope  related  to  the  Asiatic 
goat-antelope,  inhabiting  almost  inaccessible  slopes  of  high 
mountains. 

Specimens   of  the   eastern   moose,    the   largest   existing 

248 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

member  of  the  deer  family,  comprise  the  next  group;  these 
animals,  taken  at  New  Brunswick,  are  shown  in  an  autumn 
scene  characteristic  of  their  natural  habitat. 

To  the  left  is  a  group  of  American  black  bears  and  young, 
and  just  ahead  a  large  group  of  American  bison  shows  an 
old  bull,  an  old  cow  and  a  young  cow  and  calf. 

Under  the  window  are  cases  exhibiting  rocks  of  the 
Silurian,  Upper  Cambrian  and  Cambrian  geological  forma- 
tions with  the  fossils  found  in  them,  and  on  the  wall  a 
vertical  section  shows  the  rock  strata  of  New  York  State. 

A  temporary  installation,  showing  skeletons  of  the  sea 
lion,  swordfish  and  other  marine  animals,  occupies  the  west 
wall  at  this  end  of  the  hall,  and  at  the  left  a  large  group  of 
fur  seals  from  St.  Paul's  Island  in  Bering  Sea  brings  the 
visitor  again  to  the  point  at  which  he  began  a  survey  of  this 
section  of  the  exhibits. 

There  yet  remain  exhibits  of  minerals,  invertebrates  and 
plants  in  the  eastern  galleries,  and,  returning  to  the  en- 
trance to  these  galleries  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  central 
section,  the  first  corridor  (Room  6  on  plan)  contains  the 
systematic  series  of  minerals. 

In  the  center  of  the  second  alcove,  an  exhibit  of  orna- 
mental minerals  shows  polished  agates,  quartz,  azurite  and 
other  specimens  possessing  beauty  and  value. 

The  large  window  group  facing  the  mineral  alcove  in  this 
corridor  shows  the  Virginia  white-tailed  deer,  the  most 
abundant  and  most  generally  distributed  of  American  deer, 
in  a  summer  woodland  scene,  and  just  beyond  it  a  small- 

249 


250 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

scale  model,  "Woodland  Tragedy,"  represents  two  deer 
with  inextricably  locked  antlers,  a  realistic  interpretation 
of  the  facts  being  indicated  by  the  actual  pair  of  skulls  with 
locked  antlers  shown  on  the  adjacent  wall.  This  fatal  end- 
ing to  an  encounter  of  fighting  bucks  in  the  mating  season 
is  not  uncommon. 

Proceeding  eastward,  the  Hall  of  Invertebrates  (Room  7 
on  plan)  is  next  entered,  where  the  sponges  and  corals, 
worms,  mollusks,  crustaceans  and  other  types  of  animals 
lacking  a  backbone  are  exhibited. 

The  sponges  and  corals,  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  are 
systematically  arranged  in  wall  cases  on  the  west,  north  and 
south  sides  of  the  hall,  and  in  various  floor  cases  special 
groupings  have  been  made  of  sponges  and  corals  of  par- 
ticular beauty  or  interest  or  of  unusual  size. 

Specimens  of  the  Protozoa,  or  one-celled  animals,  the  sim- 
plest forms  of  animal  life,  are  shown  in  the  first  floor  case 
on  the  left  (north)  side  of  the  hall,  by  the  aid  of  micro- 
scopes, and  also  by  enlarged  glass  models.  The  sponges 
are  the  simplest  forms  of  animals  whose  bodies  consist  of 
more  than  one  cell,  for  the  cells,  although  arranged  in  two 
layers,  act  each  independently.  Varieties  of  lime  sponges, 
glass  or  silicious  sponges  and  horny  sponges  are  shown,  as 
well  as  fresh-water,  deep-sea  and  boring  sponges,  and 
sponge  spicules  under  the  microscope. 

Models  of  coral,  showing  the  anatomy  of  the  polyps  and 
their  relation  to  one  another,  are  seen  in  the  second  floor 
case  on  the  left,  which  contains  also  models  of  the  fresh- 

251 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

water  polyp  hydra  and  other  related  forms.  In  the  adjacent 
wall  cases,  specimens  of  mushroom,  staghorn  and  brain 
coral  and  other  forms  are  shown.  A  very  large  specimen  of 
brain  coral  from  the  Bahamas  and  a  specimen  cf  staghorn 
coral,  one  of  the  largest  pieces  of  branching  coral  ever  col- 
lected, are  exhibited  in  floor  cases  in  the  center  of  the  hall. 

Among  the  mural  paintings  in  this  hall,  representing 
some  of  the  more  striking  invertebrates  as  they  appear  in 
life,  is  one  depicting  a  coral  reef  in  a  tropical  sea,  and  on 
the  south  wall  in  the  center  of  the  hall  a  large  window 
group  shows  a  coral  reef  close  at  hand  and  the  animals  that 
frequent  it.  Other  mural  paintings  show  an  octopus  at 
home,  the  formation  of  a  mangrove  swamp  and  other  typi- 
cal shore  scenes  of  the  Atlantic  coast.  Proceeding  down 
the  left  side  of  the  hall,  the  starfish  and  sea  urchin  families 
occupy  the  next  case,  and  the  development  and  anatomy  of 
starfishes  and  sea  urchins  are  illustrated  by  drawings,  dis- 
sections, models  and  specimens  of  various  ages.  Abnormal 
specimens  and  specimens  showing  regeneration  of  rays  in  a 
starfish  also  are  shown.  The  various  types  of  sea  urchins 
occupy  the  eastern  side  of  the  case.  The  worms  in  the  next 
cases  include  the  serpulid  worm  of  the  sea,  the  horsehair 
worm  and  a  model  enlarged  and  dissected;  the  branchiopods, 
related  to  both  worms  and  mollusks,  are  shown  here. 

Crustaceans,  in  the  next  case,  are  represented  by  some 
one  hundred  species,  including  the  crayfish  with  an  en- 
larged model  of  dissection  to  show  the  anatomy,  and  a  sec- 
tion of  mud  from  a  river  bank  showing  a  crayfish  group  at 

252 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

home,   together   with   crabs,   lobsters,   shrimps,   barnack 
horseshoe  crabs  and  others.    In  the  wall  case  at  this  point, 
the  giant  spider  crab  and  the  locust  lobster  of  Japan,  the 
largest  species  of  living  crustaceans,  are  shown. 

The  systematic  series  of  shells,  which  includes  character- 
istic examples  of  the  principal  divisions  of  mollusks  and 
gives  a  general  impression  and  synopsis  of  this  group  of 
animals,  is  arranged  in  two  floor  cases  on  the  right  (south- 
ern) side  of  the  hall  at  this  (western)  end.  The  largest 
specimens  are  in  the  upper  part  of  the  case,  and  the  exten- 
sive study  collections  are  arranged  systematically  in  draw- 
ers below.  Fine  specimens  of  the  nautilus  and  argonaut, 
representing  the  higher  mollusks,  may  be  seen,  also  the 
paper  nautilus  of  Japan;  a  particularly  interesting  specimen 
is  the  naked  mollusk  from  Naples,  which  appears  to  have 
no  shell  because  the  shell  is  internal. 

An  exhibit  of  land  snails  and  of  shells  from  Lake  Tan- 
ganyika occupies  a  position  in  the  systematic  series  of  shells 
and  shows  specimens  of  the  eggs  of  marine  mollusks. 

The  ship-boring  bivalve  teredo  and  its  work  in  destroying 
ship  bottoms  are  exhibited  in  the  case  next  on  the  east; 
sections  of  wood  show  the  damage  done  and  method  of 
work,  and  photographs  show  the  anatomy  of  the  animal. 
Other  boring  mollusks  are  exhibited  here  also,  and  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  case  are  habitat  groups  of  the  edible  snails 
of  southern  Europe.  The  common  vineyard  snail  is  exten- 
sively used  for  food  and  snail  farms  are  operated  to  produce 
it  in  quantity. 

253 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

An  exhibit  of  pearl  shells  from  the  pearl  fisheries  of 
Ceylon,  showing  pearl  oysters  in  various  stages  and  the 
process  of  abstracting  pearls  from  the  shells,  is  installed  in 
the  eastern  side  of  this  case. 

The  marine  animals  of  the  coast  of  Long  Island  and  New 
England,  from  high  tide  to  a  depth  of  7,200  feet,  form  an 
interesting  exhibit  in  the  last  floor  case  on  this  side.  Among 
the  specimens  may  be  mentioned  the  oyster  drill,  showing 
the  drilled  shells,  egg  cocoons  and  stages  of  growth  of  the 
animal,  and  mounted  specimens  of  the  pipefish,  sand  flea 
and  other  shore  creatures.  Models  of  the  octopus  and  squid 
occupy  the  last  wall  case  at  this  end  of  the  hall  and  should 
be  compared  with  the  giant  octopus  and  squid  suspended 
from  the  center  ceiling  and  the  marine  painting  above. 

Passing  into  the  Insect  Hall  (Room  8  on  plan),  a  chart  on 
the  left  of  the  entry  traces  the  phylogeny  or  lines  of  descent 
of  the  arthropods,  showing  their  relationships  to  the  worms. 
Facing  this,  another  chart  shows  an  introductory  series  of 
insects,  noting  typical  examples  of  the  principal  families. 
An  exhibit  of  household  insects,  such  as  the  flour  moth,  car- 
pet beetle,  leather  beetle,  ant  and  other  undesirable  inmates 
of  the  dwelling,  is  shown  on  the  west  wall  of  this  room,  be- 
low which  are  six  cases  containing  the  systematic  collection 
of  beetles.  Facing  these,  the  true  bugs  are  exhibited  in  the 
six  lower  cases,  and  above  them  is  a  series  illustrating  va- 
riation in  color  and  form,  protective  mimicry,  vestigial  and 
rudimentary  organs  in  insects,  various  phases  of  biological 
and  economic  interest  and  geographical  variation. 

254 


THE  BROOKLYN  MUSEUM 

Two  groups,  showing  the  tent  caterpillar  and  army  worm 
and  their  bird  enemies,  occupy  the  central  floor  space  on  the 
north  side  of  this  room.  The  insects  which  produce  these 
injurious  larva?  lay  their  eggs  on  trees  and  vegetation  and 
the  caterpillars  do  immense  damage.  Two  other  injurious 
insects,  the  cotton-boll  weevil  and  the  bark  louse,  are  exhib- 
ited in  the  southern  central  floor  case,  their  development 
and  effect  being  also  illustrated. 

Nests  of  ants  infesting  acacia  and  other  trees,  and  combs 
of  the  honey  bee  in  the  branches  of  a  tree,  the  latter  repre- 
senting a  return  to  ancient  habits,  are  exhibited  in  this  same 
floor  case,  together  with  various  species  of  wasps  and  their 
nests. 

Another  striking  exhibit  of  wasps  and  wasps'  nests,  in- 
cluding some  interesting  South  American  species,  is  shown 
in  a  large  case  on  the  north  wall.  The  systematic  collection 
of  butterflies  is  displayed  on  the  east  wall,  and,  facing  them, 
the  Neuroptera  or  nerve-winged  insects  and  the  roaches, 
mantids,  grasshoppers,  katydids  and  others. 

The  Plant  Hall  (Room  9  on  plan)  leads  out  of  the  Insect 
Hall  on  the  east.  An  exhibit  of  the  mushrooms  and  toad- 
stools which  grow  in  the  neighborhood  of  New  York  City  is 
shown  here.  A  habitat  group  of  plants  and  animals  of  the 
desert  is  in  course  of  preparation  and  will  shortly  be  opened 
to  the  public.  It  represents  an  Arizona  desert  scene,  in 
which  giant  cacti,  sage  brush  and  other  typical  desert  plants 
are  shown,  together  with  pronghorned  antelope  and  desert 
birds  and  reptiles. 

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256 


THE  BROOKLYN  BOTANIC  GARDEN 

The  Brooklyn  Botanic  Garden  was  established  in  1910 
as  a  Department  of  the  Brooklyn  Institute  of  Arts  and 
Sciences.  Its  object  is  the  advancement  and  diffusion  of  a 
knowledge  and  love  of  plants. 

It  is  located  just  east  of  Prospect  Park,  south  of  Eastern 
Parkway,  and  comprises  approximately  forty-eight  acres, 
situated  in  the  very  heart  of  the  Borough  of  Brooklyn. 

The  Garden  is  open  free  to  the  public  daily  from  8  a.m. 
until  dark;  on  Sundays  and  holidays  it  opens  at  10  a.m. 

The  entrances  are  on  Flatbush  Avenue,  near  Malbone 
Street  and  near  Mt.  Prospect  Reservoir;  on  Washington 
Avenue,  south  of  Eastern  Parkway  and  near  Malbone 
Street;  on  Eastern  Parkway,  west  of  the  Brooklyn  Museum. 
The  Laboratory  and  Administration  Building  is  on  Wash- 
ington Avenue,  with  entrances  opposite  Crown  Street,  as 
well  as  from  the  Garden,  and  may  be  reached  by  Flatbush 
Avenue  surface  cars  to  Malbone  Street;  Franklin  Avenue 
and  Lorimer  Street  surface  cars  to  Washington  Avenue;  St. 
John's  Place  surface  cars  to  Sterling  Place;  Ninth  Avenue. 
Sixteenth  Avenue,  Union  Street,  Greenpoint,  and  Smith 
Street  surface  cars  to  Prospect  Park  Plaza  and  Union 
Street;  and  Brighton  Beach  elevated  to  Consumers'  Park 

257 


THE  BROOKLYN  BOTANIC  GARDEN 

station.  (The  elevated  train  stops  only  when  the  conductor 
is  notified  in  advance.)  The  new  subway  lines  will  have 
stations  at  the  Eastern  Parkway  entrance  and  at  Malbone 
Street. 

A  docent  will  meet  parties  by  appointment  and  conduct 
them  through  the  Garden.  This  service  is  free  to  members 
of  the  Botanic  Garden  and  to  teachers  with  classes;  to 
others  a  nominal  charge  of  twenty-five  cents  an  hour  for 
parties  of  fewer  than  three,  and  ten  cents  a  person  an  hour 
for  parties  of  three  or  more. 

The  Brooklyn  Botanic  Garden  is  supported  in  part  by 
municipal  appropriations  and  in  part  by  private  funds,  in- 
cluding income  from  endowment,  membership  dues  and 
special  contributions.  Its  articulation  with  the  City  is 
through  the  Department  of  Parks.  The  City  owns  the  land 
devoted  to  Garden  purposes,  builds,  lights  and  heats  the 
buildings  and  keeps  them  in  repair  and  includes  in  its 
annual  tax  budget  an  appropriation  for  maintenance.  A 
portion  of  the  cost  of  the  present  buildings  was  met  from 
private  funds. 

By  the  terms  of  a  written  agreement,  dated  August  17, 
1914,  between  the  City  of  New  York  and  the  Brooklyn 
Institute,  touching  the  Botanic  Garden,  all  plants  must  be 
purchased  by  private  funds.  In  addition  to  this,  it  is  the 
practice  of  the  Garden  to  purchase  all  books  for  the  Li- 
brary, all  specimens  for  the  Herbarium,  all  lantern  slides, 
and  other  necessities,  and  to  pay  certain  salaries,  with  pri- 
vate funds. 

258 


THE  BROOKLYN  BOTANIC  GARDEN 

Special  privileges  are  granted  to  teachers  and  classes 
from  local  schools;  and  members  of  the  Garden,  in  consid- 
eration of  their  payment  of  dues,  enjoy  certain  advantages 
not  extended  to  others. 

Membership:  The  Brooklyn  Institute  of  Arts  and  Sci- 
ences is  organized  in  three  main  departments:  1.  The 
Department  of  Education;  2.  The  Museums;  3.  The  Botanic 
Garden.  Any  of  the  following  seven  classes  of  member- 
ship may  be  taken  out  through  the  Botanic  Garden:  1. 
Annual  member,  $10;  2.  Sustaining  member,  $25;  3.  Life 
member,  $500;  4.  Permanent  member,  $2,500;  5.  Donor, 
$10,000;  6.  Patron,  $25,000;  7.  Benefactor,  $100,000.  Sus- 
taining members  are  annual  members  with  full  privileges 
in  all  three  departments.  Membership  in  classes  2-7  may 
be  taken  out  in  any  department,  but  carries  full  privileges 
in  all  three  departments. 

The  Garden  is  organized  in  eight  departments:  Admin- 
istration, Graduate  Study  and  Research,  Public  Instruction, 
Plantations  and  Conservatories,  Laboratories,  Library. 
Herbarium  and  Publications. 


PLANTATIONS 

"Flowers  of  all  hue,  ind  without  thorn  the  rose." 

1.  Systematic  Section,  in  which  hardy  herbaceous  plants, 
exclusive  of  local  flora,  are  arranged  in  beds  according  to 
their  natural  relationships.  This  section  also  includes 
shrubs  (Fruticetum)  and  trees  (Arboretum). 

259 


THE  BROOKLYN  BOTANIC  GARDEN 

2.  Local  Flora  Section,  which  is  one  of  the  most  inter- 
esting parts  of  the  Garden,  for  here  are  to  be  found,  fully 
labeled,  nearly  1,000  species  of  herbaceous  and  woody 
plants  which  grow  without  cultivation  within  a  radius  of 
100  miles  of  New  York  City. 

3.  Morphological  Section,  illustrating  external  plant 
anatomy  or  plant  structure  and  furnishing  an  opportunity 
for  comparative  study  of  plant  organs. 

4.  Ecological  Section,  illustrating  the  adjustment  of 
plants  to  their  surroundings. 

5.  Evolution  Section,  illustrating  various  interesting  facts 
of  variation,  inheritance,  artificial  and  natural  selection, 
struggle  for  existence,  survival  of  the  fittest  and  plant 
breeding. 

6.  Economic  Section,  in  which  are  found  plants  which 
furnish  foods  and  condiments,  those  which  are  medicinal 
or  poisonous,  and  fiber  plants.  To  the  children  and  many 
adults  living  in  a  large  city,  this  is  one  of  the  most  instruc- 
tive parts  of  the  Garden,  for  an  exhibit  of  this  kind  affords 
them  their  only  opportunity  of  seeing  the  commonest  food, 
medicinal  and  fiber  plants  as  they  grow. 

7.  Weed  Section,  showing  the  characters  of  weeds. 

8.  Formal  Garden  Section:  Japanese  Garden,  Rock  Gar- 
den, Esplanade,  Laboratory  and  Conservatory  plazas. 

Among  these  sections,  the  Japanese  Garden  deserves 
special  attention.  Opened  in  June,  1915,  it  is  becoming 
more  attractive  as  the  flowering  cherry,  plum  and  apple 

260 


VIEWS    IN    THF.   JAPANESE   GARDEN 

261 


THE  BROOKLYN  BOTANIC  GARDEN 

trees  and  the  azalea  bushes  become  larger.  This  garden  is 
most  beautiful  during  the  first  part  of  May,  when  the  won- 
derful Japanese  flowers  are  at  their  height.  It  is  not  a 
flower  garden,  however,  as  is  indicated  by  the  following 
quotation  from  Mr.  T.  Shiota,  the  designer  of  the  garden, 
in  which  he  defines  it  as  "the  natural  landscape  idealized 
and  pictured  forth  by  real  objects  on  the  ground.  Just  as 
an  artist  sketches  a  scene  on  canvas,  so  the  garden  de- 
signer represents  a  beautiful  object  on  the  ground  by  the 
aid  of  pick  and  shovel,  using  trees,  rocks,  water  and  stones 
as  nature  uses  them,  but  employing  the  principles  of  three 
separate  arts— painting,  sculpture,  and  architecture— to 
gain  the  effects  we  desire." 

It  is  evident  to  the  visitor  that  the  idea  has  been  well 
carried  out  here.  On  a  site,  especially  favorable,  including 
a  portion  of  the  shore  of  a  small  lake,  are  Inari  shrines, 
gates,  tea-house,  moon-view  house,  wistaria  arbor,  bronze 
storks,  picturesque  drum  bridge  and  stone  lanterns,  which 
combine  with  the  plants  and  natural  scenery  to  produce  the 
general  effect.  An  unusual  and  picturesque  wooden  struc- 
ture known  as  a  torii  is  situated  in  the  lake.  These  struc- 
tures are  always  placed  before  shrines  and  indicate  the  gate 
to  a  temple.  The  torii  in  the  garden  is  modeled  after  the 
famous  one  at  Miyajima,  which  stands  in  the  sea  and  is 
the  only  torii  in  Japan  so  placed. 


262 


THE  BROOKLYN  BOTANIC  GARDEN 


THE  CONSERVATORIES 

The  Conservatories  contain  a  selection  of  tropical  and 
subtropical  plants,  with  unusual  emphasis  upon  those  of 
economic  importance.  The  Conservatories  are  open  free 
to  the  public  daily,  from  April  1  to  September  30,  10  a.m. 
to  4:30  p.m.,  from  October  1  to  March  31,10  a.m.  to  4  p.m. 

The  Library,  open  free  to  the  public  daily  for  reference, 
contains  over  4,000  volumes  and  over  6,000  pamphlets  on 
botany  or  closely  related  subjects.  More  than  250  current 
botanical  periodicals  are  received. 


263 


children's  museum 
wireless  room 


264 


CHILDREN'S  MUSEUM 

The  Children's  Museum  was  established  as  a  branch 
museum  of  the  Brooklyn  Institute  of  Arts  and  Sciences  in 
1899.  Its  object  is  to  interest  children  in  nature  and  to 
offer  encouragement  and  practical  assistance  to  young  peo- 
ple engaged  in  nature  study. 

To  this  end  it  exhibits  a  great  variety  of  carefully  se- 
lected and  prepared  specimens  and  models  illustrative  of 
the  various  departments  of  science;  operates  a  Wireless 
Telegraph  Station;  maintains  a  Nature  Reference  Library 
of  about  7,500  volumes;  conducts  free  courses  of  illustrated 
lectures;  lends  natural  history  specimens  to  schools;  sup- 
plies continuous  docent  service,  and  encourages  the  activi- 
ties of  children's  nature  clubs  and  societies. 

The  Museum  occupies  a  well  preserved  mansion,  owned 
by  the  City  and  leased  by  the  Brooklyn  Institute  for  an 
indefinite  period.  It  is  located  in  Bedford  Park,  near  Brook- 
lyn Avenue,  between  Prospect  Place  and  Park  Place,  and 
may  be  reached  from  New  York  by  subway  to  Atlantic 
Avenue  station  and  thence  by  St.  John's  Place  cars  to 
Brooklyn  Avenue,  or  from  Brooklyn  Bridge  by  Fulton 
Street  or  Bergen  Street  surface  cars  to  Brooklyn  Avenue. 

265 


CHILDREN'S  MUSEUM 

or  by  Fulton  Street  elevated  to  Tompkins  Avenue  station, 
or  from  Williamsburg  Bridge  by  Nostrand  Avenue  and 
Tompkins  Avenue  cars  to  Prospect  Place. 

The  Museum  is  open  free  every  day  in  the  year:  on  week 
days  from  9  a.m.  to  5:30  p.m.,  on  Sundays  from  2  to 
5:30  p.m. 

Although  managed  and  controlled  by  the  Trustees  of  the 
Brooklyn  Institute,  the  Museum  is  supported  in  part  by 
optional  annual  grants  from  the  City  of  New  York  and  in 
part  by  the  contributions  of  friends. 

The  Museum  collections  illustrate  Zoology,  Botany,  Min- 
eralogy and  United  States  History. 

FIRST  FLOOR 

"Our  youth  we  can  have  but  to-day, 
We  may  always  find  time  to  grow  old." 

Berkeley. 

In  the  north  entrance  hallway  is  a  Botanical  Exhibit  con- 
sisting of  a  series  of  dissectible  models,  on  a  highly  en- 
larged scale,  showing  successive  stages  in  the  germination 
and  growth  of  common  plants  such  as  the  bean  and  wheat. 
In  the  rooms  at  the  right  are  the  Birds  of  Prospect  Park, 
grouped  according  to  seasons  into  regular  spring,  summer, 
autumn  and  winter  visitors;  the  occasional  and  rare  visitors, 
and  the  permanent  residents.  At  the  south  end  of  the  build- 
ing is  the  Zoological  Type  Collection,  comprising  a  series 
of  animals  in  an  ascending  scale  from  the  lowest  orders  up 

266 


SOUTH    PACIFIC   ISLANDS 

MASAI    VILLAGE,    BRITISH    EAST    AFRICA 

SAHARA   DESERT 


267 


CHILDREN'S  MUSEUM 

to  man.  Across  the  hall  in  the  Insect  Room  one  may  see 
those  specimens  of  insects  found  in  the  vicinity  of  New 
York  City;  life  histories  of  insects  including  the  silk  worm; 
brilliant  tropical  species,  and  groups  of  specimens  dealing 
with  biological  relationships.  Adjoining  is  the  Mineral 
Room  with  its  showy  models  of  gold  and  platinum  nuggets; 
its  models  of  historical  diamonds;  its  displays  of  ornamental 
stones  cut  and  polished;  its  uncut  gems;  its  birthday  stones, 
and  the  specimens  of  crystals,  minerals  and  ores  which  open 
up  the  subject  of  Mineralogy  in  its  broader  aspects. 

SECOND  FLOOR 

On  this  floor  will  be  found  the  Room  of  Animal  Homes, 
containing  adult  and  young  animals  in  or  near  their  nests, 
the  object  of  this  collection  being  to  emphasize  the  fact  that 
many  animals  prepare  nests  and  care  for  their  young;  the 
Shell  Collection,  containing  many  brightly  colored  tropical 
specimens;  the  Historical  Room,  special  features  of  which 
are  the  series  of  miniature  model  groups  depicting  scenes 
in  colonial  life  and  illustrating  important  political,  military 
and  naval  events  in  the  history  of  the  United  States,  and 
the  Geography  Room,  where  primitive  races  from  the  dif- 
ferent zone  belts  of  the  world  are  portrayed,  in  miniature, 
occupying  their  natural  habitats  and  engaged  in  their  cus- 
tomary occupations.  In  this  room  a  child  may,  within  the 
space  of  an  hour,  make  a  world  tour,  beginning  with  a 
hunting  trip  in  a  Brazilian  jungle,  continuing  with  surf  rid- 

268 


CHILDREN'S  MUSEUM 

ing  in  the  South  Sea  Islands,  pausing  among  the  Bedouin 
Arabs  in  an  Oasis  of  the  Sahara  Desert,  and  ending  with  a 
walrus  hunt  among  the  Smith  Sound  Eskimo  on  the  shores 
of  Greenland  by  the  light  of  the  Aurora  Borealis. 

A  special  feature  of  the  Museum  is  the  "Busy  Bee 
Room,"  where  the  children  study  natural  history  material 
with  the  aid  of  magnifying  glasses  and  microscopes;  pre- 
serve, classify  and  mount  insects  for  their  private  collec- 
tions; analyze,  press  and  label  plants  which  they  have  col- 
lected for  their  herbariums,  and  care  for  pet  animals  in 
which  they  are  interested.  In  this  room  are  also  a  hive 
of  living  bees  and  a  number  of  balanced  aquaria  containing 
numerous  forms  of  aquatic  life. 


269 

D.    H.    Hll-L.    LlClHAKY 
North  Carolina  State  College 


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